


The Parallel: Keepers of the Flame

by kireteiru



Series: The Parallel [3]
Category: Halo
Genre: Alternate Universe: Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Del Rio's still an asshole, F/F, F/M, Gravemind!Chief, HALO 5 - Freeform, Halo 4, Halo 5 Spoilers, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo: Escalation, Multi, Other, Rampancy, Rampant!Cortana, Spoiler Alert - Freeform, Spoilers, Tagged for violence because it's Halo, The Domain, The Domain (Halo), The Flood - Freeform, The Infected
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-06
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-03-29 08:06:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 70,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3888709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kireteiru/pseuds/kireteiru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to "Two Corpses" and "Path of Demons." It's time to finish the fight. "Look for the signs, Keepers of the Flame. They will lead you to war, and perhaps, to victory." SPOILERS FOR HALO 5!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Perchance to Dream

"…Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is UNSC FFG-201 _Forward Unto Dawn_ , requesting immediate evac."

The cryobay was dark, for the most part. The only light was provided by a handful of screens at one end, illuminating ice particles and bits of debris that drifted around on random vectors. With no gravity to pin them down, they bounced off walls and each other, and kept moving.

"Survivors aboard."

The screens were readouts of the ship's status. There were a number of hull breaches, all indicated in bright red, along with the entire forward half of the ship. One screen was entirely dedicated to the crew.

**CREW CAPACITY: 782**

**CREW SURVIVING: 1**

"Prioritization code Victor zero five dash three dash Sierra zero one one seven."

Another source of light flicked on in the bay, washing over the lone occupied cryotube. A soldier – a legend – encased in green armor, face concealed by a golden visor. A new light washed over him, giving him a blue cast.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is UNSC FFG-201 _Forward Unto Dawn_ , requesting immediate evac."

The source of the new light was a blue, double-layered sphere projected from the top of a holopanel near the occupied cryotube.

"Survivors aboard."

The light flickered red.

_is anyone listening?_

* * *

_We have been floating aimlessly in space for one thousand, six hundred fifty-one days, six hours, and nineteen minutes._

"That doesn't mean-"

 _Over four years aboard this ship with nothing to do. No tasks to complete. For over four years, all I have done_ _–_ _is think._

Ice formed slowly in the cryobay, but it had had four years to spread, filling the corners, piling up against the tubes, crawling over the screens. One of the showed the time of last contact with the UNSC, and for four years, the numbers had only been going up –

1 year, 4 months, 10 days.

1 year, 4 months, 11 days.

1 year, 4 months, 12 days-

13 days, 14 days, 15, 16, 17181920-

4 months, 5 months, 6, 7, 891011-

1 year, 2, 34-

Ice, the still element, which holds all in potential. The cryobay was caught in its grip, but it could do nothing to slow the internal degradation of the only active occupant.

_For over four years, all I have done – is think._

The blue light flickered red again.

_What are you dreaming in there?_

* * *

_I hate you._

"Cortana!"

Red flickers.

 _Stop it. I've made up my mind! If I'm going to die aboard this ship, then_ Chief _will suffer the same fate as_ me _._

"Cortana, stop."

_You sacrificed everything – for him!_

"Control yourself."

_I can't._

"This isn't right. Something is-"

A gasp of pain rippled through the rarified atmosphere of the bay. Tendrils of light extended toward the occupied cryotube, beginning as blue but fading into red. They flickered erratically over the tube, trying to do damage, but they weren't coherent enough to even scratch paint. Identical female voices cried out and scrambled to talk over one another, fought to make themselves heard.

_CortanastopIhateyouControlyourselfJohnPlease_

The orb flickered out, vanished, along with the occupant of the cryotube. For less than the blink of an eye, they were gone. Then they reappeared, in _exactly_ the same positions they had been when they vanished. Slowly, slowly, the tendrils of light retracted, a bit at a time.

 _something slowed us down… something –_ interesting _._

"I need to think."

 _Thi_ _**NKI** _ _ng is_ _**WHA** _ _t's killing y_ _**OU** _

* * *

"I don't recognize… I can't remember…"

An impact elsewhere on the ship jarred loose a segment of ice in the cryobay, which splintered as it began free-floating.

"…so much of myself."

A hose finally gave way after so many years without maintenance, its gases hissing free into the rest of the bay. It parted company with its O-ring as well. Something stirred at the sight of it, a memory – a ringworld, hidden, far away.

Without warning, a flare of orange light swept across the room, through the entire ship, setting off Klaxon alarms everywhere.

"Hello? Who's there?"

"It appears to be an alien construct."

"The data confirms it was not built by the Covenant."

_There's no need for more analyzing._

Red lights flashed throughout the ship, accompanying the alarms.

_We are in danger._

The ship began to shake, metal creaking and groaning, pipes shaking, tubing bouncing erratically. More ice and debris splintered and came loose.

"'Wake me when you need me,' you said."

For a moment, the cryobay was still. Then the outer sphere of blue light began to dissolve, sinking in and compacting, returning to the inner sphere, which began shining even brighter. Then it flashed, and became a young woman with short hair, made of a blue gradient just like the sphere. A panel appeared in front of her.

>WARNING!

>UNEXPLAINED COURSE ALTERATION

>GRAVITATIONAL FORCES UNDEFINED

>SPEED INCREASING

She looked up at the soldier in the cryotube, and came to a decision.

_Wake up, John._


	2. One: Dawn

John's vision was fuzzy, unfocused when he woke. He had a slight headache, but it faded quickly after he shook himself, forced it back.

"Chief!"

Cortana. His breathing quickened, adrenaline beginning to pump through his veins.

"Easy," said the AI, "You've been out for a while."

The Spartan pushed experimentally on the glass of his cryotube, seeing if the latches had released though the pod hadn't opened. It was still sealed tight. He laid back. "Where are we?"

"We're still adrift on the _Dawn_ ," she reported, turning away slightly to fiddle with a display that popped up next to her.

"Why did you wake me?"

"Hang on," Cortana said, "Bringing your systems online now." The Chief glanced down at his forearm guards, noting that the nanotech updating appeared to have run while he was in cryosleep. "I rewrote your suit's firmware while you were out."

That explained the new HUD, too. "You've been busy."

"Activating the ship's gravity generators." Some of the ship's reactors must still have been online. Everything floating around in the cryobay dropped to the deck a few seconds later, amid muffled reports from the ship's automated systems. The Spartan felt the weight of his suit settle on him. "Chief, look up. You need to pull the manual release," the AI told him.

The cryotube's latches must not have popped automatically when he was thawed out. He glanced up and pulled the handle, unsealing the tube with a hiss of escaping gases. He climbed out and immediately moved over to Cortana's holopanel.

"Seems like old times," she said, smiling at him.

"Ready to get back to work?"

"I thought you'd never ask." She folded her arms, then disappeared in a spike of blue-white light. He yanked her chip.

The moment he slotted her into his helmet, he knew something was wrong. She was warm, almost hot, not cold the way she had been when they interfaced for the first time. Alarms began going off in the back of his mind.

'No. No, not here, too. I can't lose her…'

"We've got intrusion alerts lighting up on multiple decks," Cortana stated, apparently not noticing his rising distress, "Our best bet to figure out who's boarding us is the Observation Deck, four floors up."

John pushed aside his concern to be dealt with later. He made his way out of the cryobay and down a short hall to a tech room. A sickly yellow hologram of the aft end of the _Dawn_ was suspended between floor and ceiling holoprojectors. His eyes raced over it, assessing, then dropped to the display in front of him. "Could it be a rescue team?" he asked the AI, reactivating the weapons systems with a few quick touches.

Cortana was about to reply when the ship shook under them with a grinding clang. "Wouldn't bet on it."

He moved up a short staircase, down another hall, and up another staircase before his curiosity got the better of him. "How long was I out?"

"Four years, seven months, ten days," was the reply.

He frowned. " _Someone_ should have found us by now." 'Like my Infected. _If_ they're real, and followed me here. Was it all really just a dream?'

Another tech room, yet as he entered it, there was another wailing grind. But this one wasn't another impact – a red, orange, and gold wave of light passed through the ship. "What was that?" he demanded, automatically darting backwards as it made screens flash and spark.

"Sensor scan, high intensity!" Cortana called, "Doesn't match any known patterns."

John growled softly, though not at her. He recognized the scan as Forerunner, similar to the ones used on –no. No, he wouldn't think it. He dared not, lest it provoke an unpleasant reaction. "How close are we to the Observation Deck?" he asked instead, assault rifle at the ready. His motion tracker wasn't picking anything up, but he _:knew:_ that there were others in the ship.

"It's directly above us," Cortana answered. He sprinted down another hall to the elevator banks. "The elevator doors look sealed tight."

Not a problem for a Spartan. He swung his assault rifle around so that it was caught by the magnetic panels on the back plate. Then he braced himself, and began prying open the doors.

"Chief, be careful-"

The vacuum beyond the door yanked it open the rest of the way, dragging him toward it as the air rushed out of that section of the ship. There was a crash behind him; he spun around to see a handful of cargo modules flying toward him, pulled by the force of the decompression. The Spartan managed to block them from doing any severe damage, but the force behind them was enough to send him slamming into the opposite wall of the elevator shaft.

"-because some areas might have lost pressure!"

"Right," he said dryly, and started to climb. He was unsure if it was the drag of the vacuum or the fact that he was used to his strength being enhanced by the Flo- no!... but it seemed harder than usual to climb up to the next level, evading falling debris as he went.

When he climbed free of the shaft, he sensed the Sangheili before he saw the warped shimmer of his active camouflage. He caught the hand holding the plasma sword and punched the alien with his free one. The Elite was stunned from the blow long enough for the Spartan to wrestle him backwards and throw him down the elevator shaft.

"I thought we had a truce with the Covenant," he growled, his gaze flicking toward the Observation Deck. There was no movement on his motion tracker, but he could sense the aliens anyway.

"A lot can happen in four years," Cortana replied, "Either way, he's probably not alone. We should be careful."

There was a Sangheili at the blast shield controls, with a clutch of Grunts scattered about the deck. Most of the latter were sleeping, and the former's back was to him, making it incredibly easy to sneak up on him.

The Chief's combat knife sliced into the side of the Elite's neck, severing a major artery and biting deep enough into the alien's spine to kill it instantly. Unfortunately, the sound of their leader's body hitting the deck woke the Unggoy. The little aliens began running around in a panic, firing wildly whenever they saw him. He gunned them down one by one, then returned to the blast shield controls.

"The good news," Cortana said as he tapped the key, "is these Covenant aren't outfitted like standard military. It's possible we just came across a rouge salvage ship." The thick metal panels retracted as she spoke – revealing a veritable army of alien ships outside their doors. " _Or_ , we might have stumbled into an entire Covenant fleet."

John darted backwards away from the windows as the AI alerted him to Phantoms moving to board them from either side of the Observation Deck. He checked his ammo status and grabbed some more for both his assault rifle and his Magnum before bringing his weapons to bear on the Covenant that came in. "We need to get off this ship," the Spartan hissed as he slammed the butt of his rifle against the spine of the last Grunt.

"We've got bigger problems," the AI retorted, "We've got a cruiser on an intercept course. Head for the elevator banks."

"Didn't the ship's sensors say we still had weapons systems online?" he asked, heading back the way they came.

"Yes," she answered, "but since the ship was torn in half, we can't access the weapons stations. We'll have to fire them manually from the outer hull."

The doors slid shut behind them. John took a deep breath to steady himself as they began to descend. It was easy for him to slide back into the mindset of _:eliminate threats between point A and point B to complete objective:,_ having spent so long doing exactly that. He pushed aside his body's aches and pains in favor of fighting off the Covenant threat.

The elevator doors opened. The Spartan moved through hatch after hatch, gunning down all of the Covenant aliens in his way. Finally he reached the airlock leading onto the hull.

"The auxiliary launch station should be to your left out of the airlock," Cortana told him, right before his HUD started to distort around the edges with streaks of blues and pinks. "You'll have to prime the launch for ignition!" Even her voice was warped.

'No! No, please, not here, not now when I can't help her…!' Worry spiked through his body, muscles coiling tight. "Cortana?"

"It's nothing," she insisted, voice still distorted, "Just get to the launch station."

The outer hatch of the airlock slid open. The Spartan stepped out onto the deck – and flinched, recoiled when he beheld the massive outer wall of the Shield World Requiem. "Uh- I'm sorry," Cortana interrupted, her voice back to normal but filled with surprise, "did I miss orbiting a Forerunner planet at some point?"

"One thing at a time," the Chief said, both to her and himself. There was a battle rifle floating a little above the deck a short distance from his entry point. He swapped his AR for it and began picking off the Covenant between him and the launch station, which he could just make out on the far side of the deck on a raised platform. He gunned for the Jackals first, taking out the snipers before wearing away at the rest. The Unggoy were next, more problematic than the Sangheili because of their sheer numbers, then the Elites themselves.

The Spartan hated space ops; because of the vacuum, he couldn't hear any enemies sneaking up on him, much less the sound of his own boots as he sprinted up the ramps to the launch station. The panel flashed green, the deck under him rumbling as the missile was primed.

Across the deck, one of the silo doors opened, the missile nosing out, but it stopped before it emerged completely, the vibrations of its grinding travelling through the deck. "Great!" Cortana shouted, panicky but sarcastic, "The blast door's jammed! The missile won't fire until it's cleared! Get down there!"

John was already moving around the control panel and jumping back down to the deck below. He felt no fear as he ran across the other silo doors, gunning down the Covenant that were dropped in his way. He circled around, threw all of his not-insubstantial weight against the damaged accelerator. It ground forward a few feet, then he kicked it into place. It sparked as it charged the missile, arming its payload. "You did it!" his AI cried, "Get back!"

The Chief did exactly that and lunged away from the wash of heat from the missile's engines. Every inch of him was still extremely adverse to fire; he doubted he would ever be able to look at flamethrower again without flinching, much less pick one up and use it.

The missile slammed into the cruiser and detonated, breaking it to pieces. But there were at least seven more visible, with more out of sight, blocked by the bulk of the _Dawn_. There weren't enough missiles for all of them. Even so, the Chief allowed himself a short moment to relish their small victory-

-right before the sensor above Requiem's gateway scanned him with the same red-orange-gold light from before.

"Chief?!"

"The Covenant weren't the one's scanning us," he reassured her, all the while thinking, 'By the Tower, here we go…' The panels protecting the entrance to the inner surface of Requiem began to retract, bright light from the spilling out to wash the area in white. The Spartan felt the gravity well inside take hole of them and start dragging them – all of them – inside.

"So, NOW can we worry about the giant metal planet?!"

John turned and ran for the airlock. "We've gotta hurry," Cortana was shouting, no doubt struggling to filter through what data she was receiving from the _Dawn_ and his suit. "The second we cross the dome's event horizon, its atmosphere is going to tear us apart!"

"Where are the closest escape pods?" he demanded, running at full speed without even bothering to grab his weapon.

"Aft vehicle bay," she reported, "I'm tagging the closest airlock, GO!"

The Chief ignored the ship's system alerts as he darted inside the hatch and waited impatiently for pressurization. When the inner lock finally opened, he bolted once more, disregarding the fleeing Covenant in favor of heading for the vehicle bay. More than once, the deck dropped out from under him as the ship fell apart, but Cortana's nav point and his own innate sense of direction kept him on the right track.

Until he reached a side hall where _something_ slammed into the _Dawn_ and caused a catastrophic depressurization, pulling him from the ship even as he fought to keep himself inside. His hands were torn free of the railing, his body dragged out into the vacuum of space, and he thanked whatever gods were out there for the resilience of his armor as he swatted away debris trying to crush him.

They managed to pass without incident through the remains of a cruiser before they were broadsided by a section of hull plating. The impact knocked the Spartan unconscious instantly, so that he was unable to control their descent as they fell.


	3. Two: Requiem

When the Chief woke, they were on the inner surface of Requiem. His entire body was screaming at him to stay where he was. He listened to it only long enough for the ache of the crash to fade. Then he struggled to get his body to respond to his commands.

Cortana had activated the suit's basic first aid, which included painkillers, so at last, he was able to get his fingers to twitch, then curl into a fist. There was debris on top of him, restricting his movement – he pushed it off. He sat up and looked around. They were surrounded by the burning remains of both the _Dawn_ and the Covenant's battle cruisers, broken hulls and gear scattered for miles around. The Spartan groped for a nearby weapon, then pushed himself up onto one knee.

Cortana was ominously silent in his helmet, but he could still feel the warmth of her presence. "Where are we?" he asked lowly.

Her voice was tired. "Checking coordinate impact data – _we have asked you to give up your family, your childhood, your future-_ "

John tensed when he heard the distorted recording of Doctor Halsey. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it, then reached back and pulled out his AI's chip. "Cortana!"

Her hologram appeared over the chip in a flare of light. "I'm sorry," she apologized, hastening to reassure him, "It's the crash, I'm fine."

"Something was wrong even before we left the _Dawn_." That was putting both things lightly. 'Please, no.' An exercise in futility. He knew _exactly_ what was wrong with her – the same thing that had been wrong _There_.

"Chief, really. I'm fine." That might have been enough to convince him if her voice hadn't come out distorted again.

He got to his feet without taking his eyes off her. "Cortana," he said, gentle but firm.

The AI's gaze dropped to her feet. She drew small circles in the air with her toes. "I was put into service eight years ago."

His heart rate jumped. "Eight years…"

She looked up at him. "AIs deteriorate after seven, Chief."

'Goddesses damnit no why couldn't I have been wrong – _they_ aren't here to help me stabilize her – this can't be our last mission I won't let it be-' "Halsey," he said, the idea forming in his mind even as he spoke.

"Chief-"

"We need to find Halsey."

"Chief, please!"

He depolarized his visor so he could look her in the eye. "She made you," he declared, "She can fix you." 'She damn well better be able to…'

"I won't recover from Rampancy, Chief."

She looked as if she was trying to accept it herself even as she said it to him. The Spartan resisted the urge to _:reach out:_ to her, didn't even know if he still could. "If we can just get back to Earth, and find Halsey," he told her, "she can fix this."

Cortana looked up at him in silence, seeing the strength of his conviction in his eyes. Then she said, "Don't make a girl a promise you can't keep."

A pair of Phantoms zipped overhead, ruining their moment. "We need to move!" the AI called, then vanished in a flare of light. John inserted her chip into his helmet once more. As he moved down a short slope and further into the wreckage, she said, "It doesn't look like the Covenant fared much better than we did."

"How many ships made it through the roof?"

"Plenty… why?"

"We still need a ride home." The super soldier picked his way through the wreckage, picking up a few undetonated grenades and more ammunition as he went, checking it all over to make sure it was undamaged and still worked.

There was a crevice in the rock on the far side of the canyon. He proceeded through it at half pace, tense and ready for combat. He almost fired off a shot when Cortana spoke. "I'm picking up a faint transmission on the high-band," she reported, displaying the waves off to one side on his HUD.

"Covenant?" John asked as he kept moving.

"I don't think so," she replied, "the pattern's different. I'll try to triangulate its position."

He wanted to tell her to ignore the transmission and focus on finding them a way back to Earth. Instead he stayed silent, intent on keeping his footing as the ground started to slope drastically upward. The light of Requiem's false sun made it impossible to see what he was making his way toward, but his motion tracker showed no contacts.

They emerged onto a right overlooking an enormous power complex, a trine of pylons floating over their housings and gathering energy from space itself. He took a moment to admire the architecture, the technology inside, the painstaking research and precision that went into constructions like it. Then he moved on, following the ridge as it curved away.

The wreckage of a hangar bay had crumpled and fragmented against the unforgiving stone, letting its contents spill out. Warthogs were strewn about like toys in the grass. Most were broken, some on fire, but there were two or three in relatively good condition. The Spartan mounted up and got moving.

As he rounded a curve, Cortana began speaking, "Chief… about my 'condition…'" When he lifted his chin to show that he was listening, she continued, "I didn't want to mention it, seeing as how it's a complete long shot, but since you brought it up… it _is_ possible that getting home could help me find a solution for my Rampancy."

"How?"

"Well, as far as I know, I'm the only AI ever generated from living tissue – a clone of Dr. Halsey, to be precise. It may be possible to recompile my neural net by replicating those same conditions. But that means getting back to Halsey. Soon."

John guided the LRV through the wreckage of the _Dawn_. They drove in silence for a time, then Cortana spoke again. "Chief, I'm hearing that strange signal again, stronger this time."

"Do you think there's something to it?"

"I'm curious more than anything. Its behavior is… odd."

The Spartan stopped the Warthog on the edge of a wide grassy canyon. The Covenant had already set up towers and barricades at various points amongst the spurs of rock. A Phantom was dropping off its load of soldiers to his left on a stretch of clear ground.

The Chief hopped out of the driver's seat and got behind the machine gun turret instead, opening up after the Phantom zoomed off. The Jackals and Elite went down fairly quickly, but then one of the Grunts hopped into a Ghost and came skittering towards him. Despite the notorious inaccuracy of the machine gun turret, he was able to kill the Grunt without doing too much damage to the other vehicle. He bailed out of the Warthog in favor of the Ghost and zipped around on it, both shooting and ramming the aliens with justified malice.

As he was about to leave the Ghost behind and move one, he noticed the orientation of the ramp and grav lift of the tower that he had shot down. It was right before the ridge that was stopping him from continuing on in the Covenant vehicle. It looked like if he used the Ghost's boost, he could get enough forward momentum and upward motion from the grav lift to clear the ridge and continue on without having to go on foot.

"What are you doing?" Cortana demanded as he moved the Ghost into position.

"Bringing this with us."

"Why?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Increased mobility and speed, superior firepower, the element of surprise…"

"Ooookay."

John hit the boost. The Ghost shot up the ramp and was caught by the grav lift. It tumbled once in the air, but cleared the lip with room to spare. The Spartan allowed himself a small smirk before he moved on, gunning down a trio of Grunts who had obviously come to investigate the commotion.

"If we're going to hijack a ship from these Covenant, we're going to have to find out where they're landing first," Cortana stated as John boosted over another small ledge.

"I don't suppose you have a plan for that?"

"We could always ask nicely."

"'Asking's' not my strong suit."

As if to prove his point, the Spartan gunned down the Covenant forces in the canyon that their crevice-pathway opened up to. There was a Forerunner structure on the far side that the Covenant – these "Storm Covenant" – were holding. He killed them, too, along with the Zealot who led them.

"That Elite dropped his camo module. Let's have a look."

John dismounted from the Ghost to pick it up.

"I'll run a patch with your suit's firmware. Who knows – it might come in handy."

"Thank you," said the Spartan, "I'm sure I'll enjoy being able to invisibly slay my enemies." His lips twitched into a tiny smile when he heard Cortana snort.

The massive door at the back slid open as he climbed back onto his Ghost. As he steered it inside, the AI brought up another wave display. "There's that phantom signal again."

John paused to listen. "I heard something that time."

The signal faded away. The inner door slid open, and John guided the Ghost into the chamber beyond. Then he started, involuntarily sending the Covenant LRV jerking backwards. " _Sentinels._ "

"I wondered when they'd show up."

The machines weren't attacking, but he had every reason to be wary of them. With Spark, they had just been doing their job, but it had shown him how easy it was for rogue Forerunner AI to add "Reclaimers" to the local Sentinels' targeting roster.

For the moment at least, they seemed content to guide him to the control panel at the back of the chamber. He touched the interface, and a holographic sphere flickered to life overhead. "It's a localized site Cartographer," Cortana informed him, "Hm… Okay – 'in service of Forerunner Shield World designate Requiem.'"

'Shit.' "Requiem. At least we know where we are now."

"Let's see if it can tell us what the Covenant are so interested in." When the AI tried to access the information, the hologram turned red, flickered, and disappeared. Yet as it flashed, the Spartan caught a glimpse of a familiar symbol, and felt dread drag his stomach down like a lead weight.

'Double shit.'

"Huh."

"What happened?"

"I don't know… It locked up."

' _Triple_ shit.' The Spartan turned around to go back to his Ghost, only to find that it was no longer there. He glared up at the Sentinels innocently orbiting the Cartographer, then pulled out the SAW that he picked up in the _Dawn_ 's wreckage. The Chief jumped down from the map platform, and began walking back the way they came, when he noticed a ramp leading down below the central "spine" of the room.

He ducked down into it, and spotted a massive metal Forerunner sigil against one wall – the Eld of the Mantle of Responsibility. As he got closer to it, he saw that there were glyphs inscribed on the symbol.

_And he could read them._

"'Guardianship for all living things lies with those whose evolution is the most complete,'" he read aloud, "'The Mantle of Responsibility shelters all.'"

"John…" Cortana sounded as shocked as he felt. "How…?"

"I don't know," he said finally. Maybe… maybe… it wasn't just a dream…?

"Hm. In any case, this is very interesting."

"Maybe," he replied, "but it won't get us home." With no further information forthcoming from the Mantle symbol, he headed back up to the main floor.

"I'm detecting power fluctuations in several locations," Cortana said after a moment, "I'll put them up for you." A pair of orange nav points appeared on his HUD. "Hopefully we can find some way to get this Cartographer back online."

John moved toward the closest of the nav points. He recoiled when more Sentinels glided out of the side chamber right in front of him, but again, they did not attack. He waited until they were far enough away to be comfortable before he turned his back to them.

In front of him was a simple enough console: a thin black rectangle perpendicular to the floor with a large green button in the center. He pushed the button and extended the light bridge, walking across it to the power core. The Spartan reactivated it, but as he did so, his shields dropped to zero, the alarm beeping, and the platform under his feet began to drop.

Purely out of reflex, he turned and jumped back up onto the light bridge, lifting his SAW. "What's it doing?" he demanded, tense.

"It's alright," Cortana assured him. After a momentary pause, she continued, "This energy is actually a ferroelectric data field. Your shields are just cycling in response to the chamber's charge."

The warrior relaxed a little. "Will this bring the Cartographer back online?"

"Partially," the AI answered, "This type of processing system usually works in parallel. We'll have to locate its twin."

The Chief left the power core behind, but not before he peered over the edge. The platform had simply descended to a lower level, but even so, he hadn't liked getting caught off-guard by it. He was about to reenter the main chamber when his motion tracker flashed red with hostile contacts. Some Covenant had found a way inside. John crouched and switched his SAW for his battle rifle, then crept forward a bit at a time. A handful of Elites, a similar number of Jackals, and a small swarm of Grunts were now in the central chamber. The Spartan activated his new handy-dandy active camouflage and began picking them all off one by one, backing up when the time ran out and he decloaked. After a few minutes, all of the aliens he'd managed to coax out of hiding were carpeting the floor of the chamber. He hopped down from his perch to pursue the others.

During the ensuing firefight, his BR ran out of ammunition, so he dropped it in favor of a carbine he found on the ground. It still worked, so he took it. He reasoned that he was far more likely to find ammo for it than either of his human weapons.

The Spartan headed across the room to activate another light bridge, then the second data field. Again, he jumped back onto the first bridge rather than descend to the lower level. As he walked back along the bridge to the main chamber, a set of signal waves popped up again. "Is that the same signal?" he asked his AI. For a second, he distinctly heard a male voice say, "FLEETCOM actual," and "UNSC survivor 883."

"Yes!" Cortana crowed, "Mayday, mayday, mayday! UNSC AI Cortana to _Infinity_ , please respond!"

There were more Covenant in the chamber. As the Chief started shooting, he heard FLEETCOM respond to the _Infinity_ , who apparently hadn't received Cortana's transmission. "No response," the AI reported, "but from the strength of that signal, the _Infinity_ has to be close by!"

It took him twice as long to clear the room, mostly because there were twice as many enemies. He nailed as many of them as he could from afar with the carbine, then once again switched back to his SAW for the up close and personal battles. At last, he made his way back to the Cartographer. He slotted Cortana's cartridge into the map's interface.

Cortana appeared on the holodisplay, along with the image of Requiem. When she reached out to interact with the display, it flickered red again before returning to normal. She shook her head and spun the dial, interacting with the map. A number of red tags appeared around the hologram of Requiem. "The Cartographer keeps acting like the transmission is coming from everywhere on the planet at once," she told her Spartan, "It doesn't want to triangulate _Infinity_ 's signal."

The hologram flickered again, and all but one of the red tags disappeared. The tag was at the core of the planet.

The hair all over the Spartans' body stood on end. 'The Didact. Is he trying to manipulate us into releasing him?' His skin crawled, akin to the prelude of his Flood-based shape shifting, but no such contortions took place.

"I got it!"

"That can't be right. Scan again."

But the Forerunner's Cryptum _did_ have a broadcast relay that would have enabled him to access the Domain, if it had survived the firing of the Halos. Perhaps there was some way Cortana could circumvent the unlocking sequence.

"We've already passed through one layer of the planet's surface," the AI answered, "It's not crazy to think that someone else made it deeper inside than we did."

"You mean the planet's hollow?"

Cortana seemed to understand his "confusion." "Let me see if I can figure out a way for us to reach these coordinates that doesn't involve us digging a really big hole." A new map, long and thin, popped up at about head level. "There's a Terminus on the far side of the complex," Cortana said, turning to look at him, "We can portal to the planet's core from there." She shot a glance back at the hologram.

"What?"

"…I don't know."

John made an executive decision, then; Cortana was a valuable resource for the UNSC, but first and foremost, she was a good friend to him, the only one he was sure was still alive. Getting her to safety surpassed the danger of the Didact on his personal priority scale. "If we have a shot at getting you back to _Infinity_ , we're taking it." When she assented, he reclaimed her chip and turned to head deeper into the complex. Yet as he walked away, he heard the Cartographer glitch again behind him.

"What do you know about _Infinity_?" he asked the AI.

"Not much. She was supposed to be massive, but the project was only in prototype when we left."

The Spartan exited a short hall into a large underground cavern. Or, formerly underground; part of the ceiling had crumbled onto the bridge spanning the chasm, letting sunlight in. It had also let in several Phantoms' worth of Storm Covenant.

The warrior fought his way across the first half of the bridge, slaying the enemy aliens who crossed his path. The array of combatants was fairly standard, nothing to sneeze at, but nothing to get worked up over, either.

There was a Banshee on the upper level of the main bridge, just a short ways across a lower, smaller bridge – a choke point. There were some Grunts, a few Jackals, and a pair of Elites on the other side. The Chief took out the Jackal sniper first, then the Sangheili, then the other Covenant, even going so far as to punt one of the Kig Yar off the edge to conserve ammo. Then he took to the skies in the Banshee, rolling to avoid fire from the other aircraft.

The Spartan switched to the fuel rod gun and blasted one Banshee apart right away, then switched back and pursued the other, careful to keep himself out of range of fire from the bridge below. When the second Banshee went the way of its predecessor, he turned his fire on the ground troops, hitting the Elites with fuel rod charges. One of them managed to dodge the initial blast, but misjudged his leap and the distance the blast would push him. He wound up flinging himself off the edge of the bridge.

John let out a quiet huff of laughter, then moved to strafe the remaining aliens. They died under a hail of plasma, leaving him free to set the ship down on the far end of the bridge. As another massive door slid open at his approach, Cortana piped up, "Chief, the Covenant net's going _crazy_. They're ordering all units to converge on the tower."

"I guess we got their attention." The Spartan walked to the other end of the hall and waited for another door to open in front of him, taking up his carbine as the light spilled in.

A Phantom had just dropped off a number of Unggoy near the door. The Chief picked them off quickly, but the gunfire drew the attention of the other Covenant in the area. Two Ghosts came zipping around the processional way leading up toward the tower. Through a stroke of his usual incredible luck, he managed to kill one of the Grunt pilots before the alien even fired a shot, then crouched and let the other Ghost's shots fly over him. When the firing stopped, he peeked up, took aim, and fired off five shots, the last of which connected and sent the Grunt sprawling to the ground, its Ghost moving an additional few feet before shutting down.

There was some UNSC ammunition scattered around the canyon when he emerged into the light. The Chief stocked up, and took out the Grunt manning the Shade turret set up nearby. He sprinted back to one of the Ghosts and claimed it for his own, bringing its guns to bear on the other Covenant running around on the processional way, then the ones taking cover on the observation decks on either side of the path.

The tower and the path leading up to it were meant to mirror the Spire and its processional way in the Forerunner Capital, which in turn mirrored the Tower of Eternity (which wasn't actually a tower at all). Though he was not religious himself, the Spartan understood why the Forerunners would want to have a part of their symbolic path of enlightenment inside their Shield Worlds. He was also angry at the Covenant on their behalf for turning their equivalent of a church into a warzone. They worshipped the Forerunners – they should have been more respectful of their constructs.

John gunned his way to the lift in the tower, clearing out all of the Covenant in his path, even the Hunters that were deployed in the aliens' attempt to take the tower before he could. He put away his weapon the moment the area was clear, and entered the Cathedral. Massive machine panels retracted in pairs as he approached, opening up the space inside, then slid back into place as one when the lift carried him up.

The Cathedral was lit with a low blue light as he walked the rail-less path up to the Terminus interface. There were a number of low, square pillars on either side of the path, ripples of light travelling up their lengths to illuminate the sigils on their sides in a momentary flash.

When he inserted Cortana into the system, the Cathedral came alive, portal anchors snapping together, suspended in the air. "According to the Cathedral, this Terminus is just one node in a large transit grid that spans the entire planet…" She trailed off.

"What?"

"When I tried to access the outlet closest to _Infinity_ 's transmissions," the Ai answered, opening the console, "the system responded with this."

A symbol appeared, one he knew well. No matter the changes wrought in him or how monstrous he became in battles he fought in the Parallel, that symbol was always engraved into his armor, integrated into his own personal sigil. "Reclaimer," he said, "humanity." Though he was hesitant to move forward, wary of the Didact's manipulations, the Spartan knew he had no choice if he wanted to save his AI. "That's got to be _Infinity_. Can you get us to those coordinates?"

"Let me try to open a portal." Cortana interacted with the display, the Terminus shifting as it heeded her commands. There was a thunderous clank, and the pillars began to rise with the Terminus platform. "I'm picking up unknown energy signatures!"

"Where?" He could sense something, too, but the Spartan didn't have her precision any longer.

"This can't be right!"

And then Promethean Knights, blue-accented, began materializing on the plinths, their insect-like carapaces fluttering like wings to vent heat.

"Set a waypoint out of the tower." John knew that Cortana was struggling with the Terminus, but he couldn't save her if she was destroyed before they reached the _Infinity_. Her safety was his top priority. They had to get out. "Cortana?"

A portal swirled open. "How did…" But like him, Cortana wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Quick! Into the portal!"

Without thinking about who created it or where it led, John snatched her chip from the system, then turned and flung himself into the vortex.


	4. Three: Forerunner

The portal dropped them off in a short hall elsewhere in Requiem. It shut down moments after they passed through, but John knew that it wouldn't stop the Knights from following them. They could portal in and out under their own power – the transit system was just for organic travelers. Doubtlessly, they were already on their way to their location.

"John… Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said after a moment's pause, "Those things are called Promethean Knights. They're Requiem's primary defenders."

There was a beat of shocked silence from the AI. "How? How do you know this? And before with the Forerunner language?"

"I…" John walked down from the platform and across the hall. The door slid open in front of him, revealing a platform in a large chamber, lit with violet light. "I can't tell you. Not yet. I'm still trying to sort out a lot of it myself. Once I do, though…"

"Promise me."

The Spartan tilted his head slightly. An image of her appeared on the left side of his HUD, her expression a mixture of anxiety, wariness, and longing. He looked her in the eye and said firmly, "I promise."

She relaxed slightly and breathed a sigh of relief. Then she smiled at him, and the image disappeared. He continued forward up to the console on the platform, and slotted her in. Back to business.

"This is Requiem's core, all right," said Cortana, "but _Infinity_ is definitely not here." An information panel popped up in front of her. She slid a few things around on it. "That satellite at the center is amplifying the ship's broadcast like a relay." She tilted her head. "Maybe we can use it to respond."

"Perhaps."

Cortana noticed that he was shifting restlessly next to her, as if he was gearing up for a fight. "John…?"

The Spartan forced himself to still, hesitating before he responded. "It _is_ a satellite, but that's not _all_ it is." He was simultaneously trying to stand straight, tall, authoritative, and yet hunching his shoulders inwards as if preparing to be hit.

His statement worried the AI. "Is there somewhere else we can go, then? Do you know?"

The Chief shook his head. "There are some deep space COMs towers, but they're all routed through _that_." He jerked his chin in the direction of the satellite. He flexed the muscles in his calves, then inhaled deeply, letting the air out in a resigned sigh. "It's not just a satellite – it's also a prison. There's _supposed_ to be a Forerunner in there – the Didact. He's… not known for being friendly towards humans."

Cortana looked back at the satellite-Cryptum hybrid. "And those beams?"

"They generate an advanced form of stay field – suspended animation. This one keeps people in stasis but still enables them to interact with the outside world, but it interferes with all forms of communication save the Domain, which is no more."

The AI quickly drew her conclusions. "It was him I noticed in the system earlier. He manipulated us here."

"Né – yes. When the Cartographer was glitching, that red symbol that appeared – that's his personal mark." John ran his fingers along the underside of his gun. "But if we ignore him, he'll use our transmissions to bait _Infinity_ into releasing him, and then destroy her."

"Better we do it, than someone who doesn't know what to expect."

"Yes."

She nodded, trusting him. "Opening a gate to the first beam pylon. Pull me, and let's go."

John tugged her chip from the console, then dropped down from the upper platform and walked through the gate, weapon at the ready. Cortana spoke again. "That answers the 'what,'" she said as he walked out of a short tunnel into artificial light, "but not the 'how' – _what are those?!_ "

"Crawlers," the Spartan answered as the little animal-shaped machines fled at his approach, "cousins of the Knights." He sensed them hovering at the edge of his range. They made his skin shiver and crawl. "Was there ever a point where I disappeared from my cryotube while we were on the _Dawn_? Even for just a single frame? Use the ship's footage rather than your own." He moved forward, and the Crawlers came back, one of them screaming at a pitch that made his hair stand on end.

As he switched back to his pistol and began aiming for headshots – 'Wait, what happened to my SAW? And my carbine?' – the AI rifled through her records. She waited until the Crawlers were all dead to say, "Yes… It's – It's literally for a _single frame_ in the footage, but we _both_ disappeared! But – I don't – I can't-"

"That's why I needed to figure a few things out. It… It seemed too real to be a cryosleep dream, but I remember and you don't." John activated a light bridge and moved across. "We were taken to an alternate universe. I appeared at the end of – FUCK!" The Spartan threw himself backwards out of range when a Knight jumped down on him from the canyon wall. It flared its face panels as it screamed in wrath – he got off a shot that caught it right between the eyes. As it dissolved in a swirl of golden flakes, the Chief clambered back to his feet. "I appeared," he reiterated, "at the end of the Human-Forerunner War, but before the Flood Invasion. I was told by a very reliable source that you were continuously reincarnated as a human without knowledge of who you were until you were born as an AI." He paused and drew back when more Prometheans phased away as he exited the narrow stretch of canyon. "I'm fairly certain that those who… served with me during the Forerunner-Flood War… followed us back _here_ , as there wasn't a lot left for them _there_. Unfortunately, I can only assume they have a plan, since they weren't here to pick us up.

"But as to why I remember the Parallel and you don't, well, your guess is as good as mine. Better, more likely – you've always been the smarter one." The Chief advanced once more, sensing the Knights' portaling activity as a crawling on his skin even before the AI mentioned it. "And, whenever you have a minute, delete this conversation and any others like it from the suit's records, please. It's not that I don't trust ONI – it's just that I don't trust ONI."

The AI could easily admit that he had a point. Some unscrupulous members of the Office of Naval Intelligence would not hesitate to take advantage of what he knew. Others would use such an opportunity to tear him and their opponents to shreds. A quick adjustment, and their conversations about John's mysterious alternate universe became normal battlefield chatter. In the meantime, the Spartan had fought his way through a handful of Knights and the Crawlers that accompanied them. He introduced her to a new type of Promethean in the process.

"It's called a Watcher," he said, flipping one of the hover rings over, "and I kill them first because they can reconstitute the Knights."

"Nasty," said the AI, right before the Spartan's HUD began glitching.

Before she could apologize, the Chief said, "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

"It's not fine!" Cortana snarled, before calming herself. "It's not fine," she repeated, quieter, "I'm scared."

"It's okay to be scared of dying."

"Dying? AIs don't die, we shut down. We're not alive."

"You're alive to me."

Anything Cortana might have added to the conversation was interrupted by their arrival at the target. The entrance was shielded by thick barriers of hard light, but fortunately, the power sources for said barriers were nearby. "When we get back to the fleet, we really need to discuss strategic control panel and power source positioning."

A number of Knights and Crawlers portaled in to protect the area, but they were all gunned down in clumps, by the Chief himself or by the autosentry he picked up off one of the Knights. There were a few more up on the ramps leading to the tower, but they, too, were taken care of before the Spartan sprinted toward the core.

"Chief," Cortana piped up, "You're going to want to see this." She brought up a shaky image off to one side on his HUD. It depicted Requiem from the outside, complete with the position of the _Infinity_. "They're not inside the planet at all," the AI summarized, "They're moving into orbit!"

John kept moving onto an elevator inside the tower, and activated it with a quick push of a button. As he did so, another garbled transmission came over the COM – " _This is Captain Andrew Del Rio to any survivors of the UNSC_ Forward Unto Dawn _, we are approaching your last known location_ …" but the rest faded into static beyond anything the Spartan could make out.

"I distinctly heard ' _Forward Unto Dawn_.'"

"They must have intercepted our distress beacon," Cortana reasoned.

The Spartan saw an immediate problem with that. "The beacon was pulled into Requiem with us," he said, "If they try to follow it…"

The AI may have been deteriorating, but she was not slow on the uptake. "… they'll get caught in the gravity well! I'll keep trying to warn them – you just get that beam down."

She didn't need to tell him twice. When the doors opened, he ran across the intervening space and dropped his weapon to grab the manual shutdown handle. The time that had passed since Requiem's construction and the powerful charge from the beam made it difficult for him, but the Chief was more than equal to the task. As the last of the stay field's purple light faded away, the emitter folding down into the tower, his suit's COM systems picked up another transmission from the ship: " _FLEETCOM Actual, we are detecting a faint UNSC signal from somewhere inside the planet._ "

"They haven't hit the gravity well yet." Once the protective panels locked into place over the emitter, John sprinted across them to the portal that opened up on the other side.

Cortana was silent for a moment. "There's still too much interference to warn them without taking down that other beam. That Forerunner, the Didact – will he escape just from this?"

"No."

"Then we've got to disable that other beam before the _Infinity_ is pulled inside like we were."

The portal dropped them off on the platform where they started, another one opening up opposite the one they had taken to the first beam pylon. As the Chief approached it, a handful of Covenant ships transitioned back to real space near the Cryptum and began making for the second pylon.

"I was wondering why the _Infinity_ hadn't encountered the Covenant yet. But what are they doing here? Surely they would have more interest in ships or weapons caches elsewhere on the planet?"

"They're probably hoping to release the Didact." The Spartan leapt through the portal, took a beat to orient himself, then continued forward. "The Covenant worship the Forerunners, remember? He'll be a god made flesh to them." The sounds of the Storm Covenant and Prometheans battling it out ahead made him pause. He decided to let them weaken each other before he moved into the fray. "Cortana."

"Yes?"

"When we get up to the satellite, there should – _should_ – be a system override with my service number as the key. Once I make contact with the interface, I want you to overload the system with as many pings as you can. If it's there, it'll unlock, and we can communicate with the _Infinity_ without releasing the Didact."

"And if it's _not_ there?"

"Then we'll make it up as we go." The sounds of gunfire were winding down. He could hear two Sangheili and at least one Knight still running around, probably with its Watcher. "It's always worked in the past."

"Okay," Cortana said finally.

John moved out of cover. The Sangheili were fairly close to one another; he lobbed a grenade their way, then used the time until detonation to take out the Watcher. After it fell out of the sky, he turned back to the Covenant. Without their shields, two quick headshots were sufficient to put them down. The Knight had initially been out of sight, but once the aliens were dead, it came looking for their killer. The Chief scooped up a boltshot and charged it fully to knock down the digital being's shields, then fired at its center of mass until it dissolved in a swirl of golden flakes.

It was much the same all the way to the tower: let the Covenant and Prometheans wear each other down, then sweep in behind and clean up the mess. The Ghost he picked up along the way helped with that; he simply triggered the boost and rammed through all of the remaining enemies.

The tower itself was held by the Covenant, with only the broken remains of Prometheans to show that there had ever been a contest over the place. John sent his Ghost zipping forward to slam into the Sangheili who was making a break for a nearby Banshee. The Spartan commandeered the vehicle instead and took off, evading fire from the other Banshees as he did so. It was an older model, not nearly as maneuverable as he was used to, but he adjusted quickly and shot down the other Banshees. Then he moved to strafe the troops on the ground and bombed the hell out of the power sources.

John set the Banshee down on the second level of the ramp leading into the tower and jogged across the light bridges to the elevator. As he did so, Captain Del Rio came over the COM again, image blurry, " _UNSC_ Infinity _to Survivor_ Forward Unto Da-a-a-a- _We're reading a faint IFF near the pla-anetary core. Do you read?_ "

"The planet's core?" Cortana repeated, "They know we're here!" She began trying to signal the ship while the Spartan activated the elevator. " _Infinity_ , this is UNSC AI Cortana! Do not approach Forerunner planet! Repeat, do not approach –"

" _UNSC asset_ ," said the captain, "Forward Unto Dawn _, we read you, but you're breaking up._ " He turned to someone off screen, " _Helm, increase speed by point-seven. Get us in there!_ "

"NEGATIVE, _Infinity_! Do not approach the planet!"

Del Rio went on, " _If you can read us, keep transmitting!_ "

"No!" the AI shouted in despair, "Chief, you have to get that beam down _now_!"

When the doors opened, the Spartan hauled ass for the pylon controls and shut it down as fast as he could. As the emitter folded away, Cortana once again attempted to hail the _Infinity_ , but to no avail. "The interference is gone, but your suit's transmitter's not strong enough. It looks like we have no choice."

The Chief nodded in assent. "Move us up to the Didact's satellite."

"Already done, go!"

The portal he stepped through dropped them back at the main platform once again. He ran as fast as he could for the portal to the Cryptum and jumped through. "How soon until _Infinity_ hits the gravity well?" he demanded as a Phantom swooped overhead and dropped a load of troops in front of him, mostly Grunts.

"A minute or two, max!"

John sniped the Storm Covenant with his lightrifle as he tore down the ramp. There were doors on either side of the entryway; he picked one and moved through, hugging the innermost edge of the battlefields beyond. The Covenant and the Prometheans were more concerned with each other than him, and so he passed mostly unmolested.

"Chief," said Cortana as he approached the ramp to the interface, "You need to hear this!"

An unfamiliar female voice came over the COM this time: " _Detecting a slight gravimetric disturbance near the planet's opening. Suggest alternate approach vector one seven two k dash one five zero k dash one two k._ "

"They're not diverting from the opening! Hurry, Chief!"

The Spartan dodged a turret and fire from Prometheans. "Are you ready?!" he shouted over the sound of gunfire.

"Yes!"

He laid his hands on the interfaces and kept a sharp eye on his motion tracker, pushing all thoughts of the Parallel from his mind. " _Infinity_ ," he said over the COM, "this is Sierra one one seven of the UNSC _Forward Unto Dawn_. Do you copy?"

The Cryptum echoed his words back at him, making him briefly tighten his grip on the interfaces before he let them go. The Spartan drew his weapon once more. "Cortana?"

"I'm sorry – there wasn't –"

"Find us an exit," he interrupted.

"Don't wait around on my account!" John vaulted over a low wall nearby and took cover behind it as the Cryptum rose ominously, then released a shockwave that knocked over all of the enemy combatants. The Chief didn't need to look to know what happened next – the Cryptum's plates retracted from the "molten" core, releasing the platform on which the Didact stood. He tensed, tightened his grip on his weapon when he heard the clicks and clanks of the Forerunner armoring up.

"So fades the great harvest of my betrayal."

All the Chief's hair stood on end at the sound of his voice, and the horrible sense of _:WRONG:_ that made his trigger finger itchy. In the Parallel, he had been able to help when the Primordial – the _Gravemind_ – had mind-raped the Promethean commander, but here the alien had had no such aid or, if he had, had refused to accept it. It would be a mercy to put him down…

The Covenant were bowing to the Forerunner even as the Prometheans were reprogrammed to obey their master once more. "Even these beasts," said the Forerunner, "recognize what you were oblivious to, Human."

'Oh, he's talking to me.'

"Your nobility has blinded you," the Ur-Didact continued, "as ever."

John felt the wall beginning to give under his shoulder, saw it flake away like a dying Promethean out of the corner of his eye. He stood up and leveled his weapon – only to be snared in a constraint field, mental as well as physical. He writhed in the other's grip.

The Spartan might have been weaker – _so_ much weaker – that he had been in the Parallel, but this close, even he could do some damage. The Didact clearly did not expect him to retain even a shadow of his power from the Parallel – or indeed have any at all – because his mental defenses were minimal. John formed a spear with as much mental energy as he could focus and drove it straight at where the Forerunner's shields were lowest.

The Ur-Didact jerked back with a shout of pain, but his grip still held. He turned rage-filled eyes back on the Spartan, lips curling away from his teeth. Then realization and recognition flashed across his face. " _YOU!_ " he shouted, "Well, well, the Librarian left little to chance, didn't she? Turning my own guardians – my own world – against me and ensuring that _you_ -" His grip clenched. "-were here to witness my return. But what hubris… to believe she could protect her pets – and _you_ – from me forever. If you have not even mastered these beasts, then your original _kind_ has not attained the Mantle. Their ascendance may yet be prevented.

"Time was your ally, _abomination_ … but now it has abandoned you. The Forerunners… have returned." The panels of his helm curved around his head and connected, articulation points flaring bright. "This tomb… is now yours."

The Promethean threw him away. John automatically tucked to minimize damage, but he was unable to hold in his shouts of pain when he hit a support beam, then fell onto and then off of another low wall not unlike the one he'd just been taking cover behind. He groaned and pushed himself upright, groping for his gun – and stopped dead, eyes wide.

Under the adhesive strip on his back, his now bruised and cracked spines quivered and flexed, making him cringe at the sharp jolts of pain.

"Not a dream," he gasped, watching but not seeing the Didact's Cryptum moving to Slipspace, "Thank the Tower, it really wasn't a dream!"

"Chief?!"

The concern in Cortana's slightly warped voice brought him back to himself as much as the charge crackling over his skin did. He didn't think – just reacted, flinging himself under the ramp he'd fallen next to and throwing his arms up over his head, hands folding over the slot where Cortana's chip jacked into his helmet.

And then the second, much stronger shockwave rendered him unconscious.

* * *

Again, it was Cortana's voice that brought him back. "Chief, _please_ ," she whimpered, "We've gotta go! – I'm sorry, I tried, I did exactly what you said, but there wasn't – Get up!"

John shook his head, and forced himself back to his feet, staggering a little and wincing when one of his cracked spines shifted. They were going to be a bitch now that he'd regained feeling in them, not to mention the tightness and cramping. His MJOLNIR armor had not been designed with space for dorsal spines in mind. "What's happening?" he demanded.

"Moving the satellite to Slipspace destabilized the core!" the panicked AI reported.

Two Phantoms, caught up in the powerful quantum currents, collided overhead, then crashed nearby, close enough to where he could feel the wash of heat through his armor. He reflexively shielded himself from the impact, again curling his hands over his head to protect Cortana's chip.

"The Didact's leaving!" she shouted, "We have to find a way out of here before the whole network collapses!"

John snatched up his gun – 'A suppressor this time; why do my guns keep changing?' – and practically threw it onto his back panels, then sprinted forward. The crashed Phantoms had dropped their cargo of Ghosts when they collided. He picked the one that was in the best repair, jumped it, and took off. The Spartan felt the kick when the Ghost's boost began receiving power form his shields, but other than that, he remained entirely focused on speeding through the collapsing core, his restored self-preservation instincts screaming at him to move. The sudden drops and random spurs of rock shooting up in front of him played havoc with his ability to control the Ghost – not for the first time since arriving on Requiem, he wished he _had_ taken the goddesses' offer of magical powers, or in the very least the ability to move freely through space, like teleportation.

At last, he saw the swirling, blue-edged darkness of a portal up ahead and aimed his vehicle for it, accelerating as fast as he could go. They entered it with little time to spare, the now-welcome juddering chaos feeling like a saving grace.

_I see you, Commander._

They emerged in bright sunlight, but there was no time to bask in the freedom of it. They had arrived on a cliff edge, aimed off of it. John swung the Ghost to one side, then leapt off of it, transferring as much of his momentum to it as he possibly could. He was successful – he and Cortana came skidding to a stop at the very edge of the cliff. The Ghost went flying off and exploded as it fell.

"Chief, there!"

John looked up. The _Infinity_ broke through a bank of clouds, electricity arcing along the length of the ship. " _Mayday, Mayday!_ " came over the COM, " _This is the captain of the UNSC_ Infinity _! We're without power, on a collision course with an unidentified Forerunner planet!_ "

The Spartan turned to follow it as the ship roared overhead. "Track its descent."

"Marking," Cortana responded, "Impact predicted seventy-seven-point-eight kilometers due north."

His skin crawled in warning, right before he heard the hum of the Didact's Cryptum behind them. Instinct took over; he pulled out his gun and whirled to face the Forerunner machine, but it ignored him entirely. It scanned the area and zipped off after the _Infinity_ at the command of the Didact.

"You _know_ where he's headed."

"Same place we are." John said, then started walking.


	5. Interlude: A Walk in the Woods

"He knew you."

"Hm?"

"The Didact."

John wiped off the water he'd splashed on his face and flicked it away before he turned to look at Cortana. The AI – well, her hologram, at least – was seated on the sun visor on his helmet, looking up at him as he washed his face for the first time in five years. "So he did," the Spartan said finally, ruffling his close-cropped hair to shake off the moisture, "I believe that means it's safe to assume the fleet is here. Or _was_ , at any rate. It's been a long time since then. There's no telling what's happened, but I get the impression that my subordinates didn't get along very well with the Didact."

"You don't say," Cortana responded dryly, "but that's not what I meant. In your alternate universe, you weren't _just_ a Spartan, were you? You were more than that."

John was silent for a long moment, watching her. "I want to tell you," he said at last, "I want to tell you _everything_ , but… I don't want you to be afraid of me."

"I would never fear you."

He gave her a small, bitter smile. "You say that now. Let's just say that there were… a number of complications and nasty, Flood-related incidents throughout the years and leave it at that."

The AI distinctly cringed at the mention of the Parasite, her mind turning back to her tenure under the Gravemind. John noticed, but said nothing, his chest tight. "And the Didact?" she asked, "What did you do to him that made him react like that?"

"Forerunners of all rates have some form of psy-active abilities," he told her, "most often simple telepathy, and the Warrior-Servants like the Didact more so than most. They use that power to merge their perceptions in battle and communicate and respond faster to changes in the field. In addition, they can also use their minds offensively. Most species have no defense against mental assaults, so it gives them an enormous advantage." He took a breath. "I served with the Forerunners in the Parallel, and they awakened the same abilities in me. He clearly wasn't expecting me to retain any of that power, because his shields were low. I tried to take advantage of that so we could escape, but it didn't quite come off."

The AI frowned. "If all Forerunners have these abilities, does that mean they're all…?"

"Like him?" John picked up his helmet and set it on top of a rock so that Cortana was more at eye-level. "No. The Didact is unstable because he was captured and mind-raped by a Gravemind. They have a kind of… a kind of logic bomb virus, almost, that they use to twist the minds of both physical and digital beings." The Chief looked over at her. " _You're_ the only person I know of who's ever come out of it with their sanity even halfway intact. _And_ you pulled yourself together to last this long."

Cortana turned pink in pleasure at the praise. She seemed to have dropped the subject from earlier. Even so, John could feel her gaze on him when he lowered his head to drink from the stream. When he had swallowed as much as he could handle, he straightened and wiped off his mouth, then reached for his helmet. "How are you holding up?" he asked, pulling it on.

"I'm… I'm okay," the construct responded eventually, "I've got a while yet before I reach critical. Once we get to the _Infinity_ , I'll be able to offload some data. That will buy me more time."

"We'd better get moving, then." The Spartan picked up his suppressor and stood, making for the waypoint that marked the ship's location.

God-slaying super soldier or no, at the time, John was mostly human, and humans needed sleep after strenuous activities. He and his AI companion hunkered down in a cave system about fifteen kilometers from the ship. It was honeycombed with tunnels, both natural and artificial, and in a number of places, parts of the external walls had fallen away, letting in thick shafts of sunlight and giving them a commanding view of the surrounding terrain. In the caverns, machinery and platforms of Forerunner make were connected on several levels by light bridges, but the Spartan chose not to investigate.

John found a ledge high enough off the ground to hide them while he slept, and modified his autosentry so that Cortana could deploy it and defend them if the Didact's Knights or the Storm Covenant stumbled across them. He laid down on his stomach, mindful of his spines. The cracks in the bone had healed during the long walk, but the bruising was slower to fade. As he drifted off, he mumbled, "Good night, Cortana."

And then he _was on a ship. The Spartan could feel the minimal vibrations from the ship's engines – Forerunner, no doubt. It looked similar to the_ Perfect Storm _, but was different enough to be a separate ship. He continued walking through the halls, listening to the footsteps of the people behind him - heavy, armored. His Infected?_

_He emerged in a massive bay, filled with fighters and transports. As many of his Infected as could fit were gathered there as well, even if they had to stand on top of the single ships or hang from the balconies. All of them were grinning widely as they turned to look at him._

_The Greater Ark was in the background, hanging in the void. All of the damage dealt but the Parasite during the Forerunner-Flood War had been repaired, the ore mine at the center replaced. He had always been amazed by the Forerunner capacity to build, to create on such a large scale, but most of his attention was caught by the stealth ship, the Forerunner equivalent of one of ONI's prowlers, that decloaked and approached the bay._

_It settled on the deck, a ramp dropping down from its underbelly to allow its passengers to disembark_ and John woke to the sound of gunfire. He automatically pushed himself up to one knee, his suppressor coming up to sweep the area. The gunfire came again, but it was distant, echoed and amplified by the configuration of the caverns. "I guess that means naptime is over," the Spartan grunted, getting to his feet.

"You were out for almost three hours," Cortana supplied, "but your brain activity was… really strange."

John paused in his descent from the ledge. "'Strange?'" he repeated, pushing off from the wall and dropping the rest of the way to the cavern floor. He landed on his feet like a cat, bending his legs to absorb the impact. "'Strange,' how?"

"You were definitely asleep," the AI responded, "but your neurons were firing as if you were awake and aware, and doing a lot of unusual sub-processing."

"… Yeah, I guess that qualifies as 'really strange.'" The Chief walked through a series of Forerunner tunnels and back out into the rainforest. Now that they were no longer in the caves, there was no gunfire to be heard. A kingdom of isolation, and they were the king and queen. After a long period of silence, Cortana spoke again.

"Had that happened before?"

"Hm?"

"Your brain activity."

"Ah. Hm. If it is what I think it is, then… yes. But, normally, it comes on so suddenly, and it's gone just as fast; a three-hour duration is unheard of. There was never time to do any scans. We were more concerned about the fainting spells that accompanied it. I suppose I should be grateful I was already on the ground when this one hit."

Cortana snorted in his ear. "I can just see you swooning like those women in old movies." She faked one of their theatrical gasps.

"That's… actually not very far off the mark."

Her peals of laughter lightened his heart.


	6. Four: Infinity

The rainforest that the _Infinity_ had crashed in was as all rainforests were: thick, green, and wet. The Spartan could see the occasional billow of fog settled in hollows in the ground. The moisture slicked his armor, made it gleam in the sunlight that filtered through the canopy. The Chief jumped down off the fallen log that he had been using as a bridge and kept walking forward, his suppressor at the ready.

"Stay low," Cortana warned, "Recon sortie heading this way."

He dropped into a crouch, ducking his head as two Phantoms full of troops zipped by above him, accompanied by Banshee escorts. They were moving to support the Didact, no doubt; the Forerunner was scanning the UNSC ship and probably hacking its systems, too. "The ship looks intact," the AI reported.

"Something tells me that's only because the Didact wanted it that way," John replied. He would have said more, but another voice came over the COM.

" _This is Lasky to UNSC_ Infinity _! We're up to our necks in bad guys down here! Does anyone read?!"_

"This is Sierra One One Seven of the UNSC _Forward Unto Dawn_ ," the Chief stated, "We're on-station, ready to assist."

" _Negative copy,"_ was the staticky reply, _"Sounded like you said_ Forward Unto Dawn _? Come again-"_ But then the signal faded.

"Signal's bouncing in and out," Cortana reported, "I can't clean it up."

John nodded in acknowledgement. "Light up their friend-or-foe tags," he told her, "We're gonna need something to zero in on." The Spartan waited patiently for her results, staying crouched to avoid additional Phantoms and Banshees that flew overhead.

"I'm seeing multiple IFF tags below the tree line. Painting the closest one on your HUD." Cortana put up an objective point about two hundred meters away.

The Spartan straightened and moved toward it. As he did so, the voice of the captain came over the COM: _"_ Infinity _to Commander Lasky, we've lost contact with your Pelicans! Report in!"_

"They must not have received his distress call," John said quietly as he dropped off another ledge. He skirted the edges of a couple of sunny clearings, then crept through a narrow tunnel in the foliage. A handful of enemy contacts appeared on his motion tracker – a trio of Knights in the midst of a squad of dead Marines. They portaled away before he could engage them. John clenched his teeth, then asked, "Lasky?"

"One of them's an officer," Cortana supplied, "Check his IFF tag." When the Spartan accessed it, she said, "The tag ID's him as Jiminez, Paolo J."

"Then Lasky's still out there somewhere." He pocketed their dog tags and kept moving.

The Knights hadn't fled very far, but they _had_ called in reinforcements in the form of a flurry of Crawlers. The Spartan had picked up a DMR, and began picking the Prometheans off one by one. One of the Knights roared and released its Watcher, which zipped over to begin reconstituting one of the Knights he had already destroyed. The Chief promptly blasted it out of the sky, before destroying its Knight as well. He mowed through another clutch of Crawlers, picking up another familiar weapon in the process: a binary rifle. He left his suppressor behind, reasoning that he could always pick up another one.

He rounded a corner just in time to see a Marine detonate a grenade and take out the third Knight, which had impaled him on its blade arm. The Spartan immediately moved in, noting the rest of the Marine's squad also lying dead. He sighed and shook his head, collecting their dog tags while being mindful of the other Prometheans circling nearby. John was about to move on and engage the other digital beings when Cortana piped up. "Wait! What was that he dropped on the ground over there?"

John picked it up. It was a Promethean Vision module – he and his Infected had used them during the Forerunner-Flood War in places thick with fog and spores. He activated it and lifted his DMR as he approached the edge of a short drop.

One of the Prometheans spotted him and began firing. He fired back, taking out the Crawler with a headshot. Then he moved on to the others, avoiding the lone Knight's autosentry. After its timer ran out, the Spartan gunned the Knight down and hopped off the ledge.

There were more Prometheans portalling in, blocking the path up out of the foggy hollow. His DMR out of ammo, John traded it out for the suppressor one of the Alpha Crawlers had left behind. He unloaded an entire clip into the Knight leading the charge, not wanting to waste the ammo in his binary rifle. Fortunately, the one clip was enough to break the Knight apart, leaving him free to take cover and reload without having to worry about how long it would take for the AI construct's shields to recharge.

The Crawlers charged him. He beat them back, took them apart, and kept moving through the rainforest. "We've got another IFF on the far side of this thicket," said Cortana as the ground leveled off. The Spartan pushed through the foliage and knelt next to the corpse of the Marine.

Lasky's voice came over the playback. _"We should get eyes out there, looking for the others."_

A strong female voice affirmed his orders. _"Peters, you heard Commander Lasky."_

Peters' voice was last. _"CFB, ma'am. Bulldogs! On me! We're going for a walk."_

"Lasky's been through here, recently by the timestamp," Cortana informed him, though he could have worked out that first part by himself. The Chief didn't mention it.

More Prometheans around the bend; more Crawlers. They were meant to fight the brainless Flood and the careless Gravemind behind them, not an enemy who could learn faster than they could. The Flood overwhelmed their opponents through sheer numbers rather than any real strategy, so it was starting to get rather dull. He kept moving anyway, falling into the rhythm of the skirmishes. The Prometheans all tended to stay still when shooting more often than not, and their targeting systems had trouble locking on to singular moving targets. Normally, there were so many infected Flood hosts that they could spray hard light bullets everywhere and be guaranteed a hit. The Chief didn't have that problem, and dodged around while firing, even moving out of the way just in time to knife the Lancer that charged him.

"I've got another IFF tag," the AI informed him as he walked on, "but as far as I can tell, we're moving into a choke point. This may end up as a dead end."

John bobbed his head in acknowledgement and began climbing up some half-rotted fallen tree limbs that were forming a sort of ramp upwards. There were _still more_ Crawlers ready for him, but in the tighter quarters of the short spiral formed by the wood, it was harder to destroy them, the trunks impeding his view as much as they were protecting him from enemy fire.

Finally, he stepped off onto an overgrown Forerunner structure. Its door was sealed tight, and there were a few crates of UNSC gear scattered nearby. "There's the friend or foe tag," Cortana pointed out, and objective point appearing over the piece of tech, "but where's whoever it belongs to?" The transmission that played back implied that Lasky and his men had come under heavy fire and taken cover inside the relay station. In confirmation, Cortana marked movement on the far side of the door. "Multiple ID's! Chief, they're friendlies!"

He lowered his weapon right before the door hissed open. Three soldiers in armor not unlike his own emerged and swept the area for hostiles. John turned his head to follow the closest one, then looked back at the approaching officer. "Afraid we're gonna have to give you an IOU on that welcome home party," he said, extending a hand before John could salute, "Tom Lasky, First Officer of the _Infinity_." They shook. "Never thought I'd see you again."

Tom Lasky – the name was familiar. The same terrified little cadet who had acted as live bait for a Hunter? Huh. Stranger things had happened, he supposed, spines rippling.

A helmetless Spartan moved in close, looked him over. Female, auburn hair, and inch shorter than him out of armor – her ID said "Palmer, Sarah" with a Lieutenant's insignia on his HUD. "I thought you'd be taller," she grinned.

The Chief raised an unimpressed eyebrow behind his visor. A radio transmission cut off anything he might have said, pulling their attention away. Del Rio was on the air; _"…ground forces are ordered to return to_ Infinity _immediately!"_

The Marine manning the radio waved them over. "Commander! Radio's hot!"

"You don't fucking say," John muttered under his breath, and heard Cortana giggle in his ear as he followed the S-IVs inside.

"… _respond to COM…_ " the captain was saying, _"…on what frequency?_ What frequency _, dammit?!"_

Lasky knelt next to the radio. " _Infinity_ , this is Commander Lasky," he said, "Pelican recon teams are down, repeat, all birds are down. We've got numerous casualties and require immediate assistance, over."

"Finally _,"_ the captain responded. The arrogance in his tone made John narrow his eyes. _"Did you get the coordinates for that gravity well?"_

"Affirmative, sir," Lasky answered, "but we're gonna need a bus out of here!"

" _Make it_ happen _!"_ He snapped off.

The Chief scowled. _This_ was how Del Rio treated the men under his command? He'd never spoken that way to any of his subordinates without being under a hundred times the stress and further behind enemy lines than this. The Infected had been able to tell that there had been no real venom behind the words, that he hadn't meant them. And he had _never_ snarled at Nep'Thalia or Cortana like that.

Lasky seemed equally dismayed.

 _"You were sent on a scouting run in the middle of an attack on the ship?"_ Cortana said incredulously over his armor's external speakers.

"The captain thought _Infinity_ could provide us cover and hold off the attack at the same time."

Palmer approached the other officer. "Sir," she said quietly, "We'll never get the wounded back to the ship on foot."

Lasky sighed through his nose, silently agreeing. John briefly twitched an eyebrow upward behind his visor, exchanging a glance with Cortana. The Spartan-II shifted his weight, bringing the officer's attention back to him. He could see the realization flash across the man's face the moment he remembered who he had at his disposal. "I don't know if it's too soon to ask you for a favor, but…" Lasky said, standing up and taking a few steps closer, "we're gonna run out of breathing room here real quick. I don't suppose you're any good at clearing LZs?"

"On occasion," the Chief responded, "We'll send out an all-clear once the area is secured."

One of the other S-IVs escorted him through the facility where they had taken cover. It was a simply relay station and maintenance node for the power grid, but it was also connected to Requiem's information network. If he still had his Flood-based abilities…

But no. He'd retained some telepathic power, that was true, but a direct interface with machinery was now beyond him, something he sorely missed.

As the S-II emerged from the facility, Cortana spoke up. "A topographical scan of the area shows a break in the foliage north of here," she informed him, "Should be big enough to bring in a dropship for evac."

More of the Didact's soldiers were there waiting for them when they stepped out into the open. The Chief used two of his precious rounds in the binary rifle to take out the Knight Lancers before they could charge or release their Watchers, then switched back to his suppressor to deal with the Crawlers.

As he continued toward the LZ, John passed a radio that had been left behind during the retreat to the relay station, just in time to hear someone shout, _"_ Infinity _'s being overrun!"_

" _The ship's as big as a city! How's it being overrun?!"_

Each of the _Fleet of Shadows_ ' ships had been "as big as a city," too, and faced longer odds than the _Infinity_ without being overrun by the enemy Flood. They had spent entire _decades_ behind enemy lines in Flood-controlled territory. Poor decisions were being made somewhere, and the Spartan already had his suspicions about where. His eyes narrowed.

His motion tracker showed contacts around the bend where the path he'd been following up from the forest floor passed between two fallen trees. There was no cover there, forcing him to fire on the Prometheans beyond while trying to dodge in the tight space. The Marines with him fell back to let him handle the heavy lifting, but the instant the least of the digital beings broke apart, they were charging after him through the narrow pass.

As they exited the sniper alley, the Chief spotted some more Marines under fire nearby, right before Lasky came over the COM. _"Chief, it's Lasky. We're getting reports of friendlies pinned down near your position. Can you assist?"_

The S-II moved forward to fire on the Crawlers and Water preventing them from advancing, leaving Cortana to respond with, "Commander, this is Cortana. We're on our way." She seemed to be keeping it together rather well, considering the fact that she had needed his help. To be fair, a lot more time had passed in the Parallel than the Origin following the beginning of her rampancy.

John moved to join the Marines when all the hostiles were dead, halfway listening to the shocked murmurs of the other soldiers.

"Who's that?"

"What. The. What?"

"Holy mother of…"

"I thought he was dead."

A handful of Knights portaled in with their entourage further up the slope ahead. The Chief was not eager to find out exactly what the Watchers were materializing. Unfortunately, he only managed to take one out before it finished the job. He heard the familiar whine of a charging turret, saw the red-orange-gold glow out of the corner of his eye, and rolled backwards out of the way as it fired.

The S-II focused on the turret and the Knights, leaving the Crawlers to the Marines. When the coast was clear, they all advanced up the slope. There were a handful of bodies under and overhang with a tightly sealed door set into the wall. "The Marines got trapped trying to get through the doors," said Cortana, "Look for an interface."

The Spartan was already making for the console by the door. As he slotted her in, he swore that he felt something – just a little something, an impression of a _:wall:,_ but the sensation was gone before he could analyze it. " _These doors open up into a cave system with a space large enough for an LZ,_ " the AI reported, her avatar taking the shape of a sphere made of coding, " _Hold them off long enough for me to open the doors!_ "

And just as she finished speaking, more Prometheans portaled in. John lost track of time for a bit, wave after wave of Prometheans charging up the rise to attack them. At last, he had a moment to breathe and asked, "Cortana, how close are we?"

_"YOU-U DO YOUR-R JO-O-OB AND I'LL DO MINE, O-OKAY!?"_

The Chief flinched at the rampant shout, his spines trying to stand on end despite the unforgiving press of his armor. He smoothed them flat again, but there was no time for him to reach out to the construct. Another wave of Prometheans threw themselves at the hill, and he and the surviving Marines moved to defend.

When the last Knight broke apart with a crunch, Cortana spoke up. _"Got it!"_ she called, _"Passageway's unlocked. Come and get me!"_

John jogged over to the console without hesitation and pulled her from it, slotting her back into his helmet. Indeed, the door opened at his approach, and sealed behind them, cutting off the pursuit of _still more_ Prometheans. The pink-violet-blue distortion of his HUD appeared again before Cortana spoke. "Sorry about back there," she said softly, "That hatch's security was more difficult than I expected."

"It's alright."

"It's _not_ alright," she hissed, " _Nothing_ about it is alright."

"Cortana," he said gently, stopping his advance and dropping to one knee so he could focus entirely on her. When he was sure he had her attention, he continued, "In the Parallel, I didn't know you were shutting down until it was almost too late. It took me a _year_ to get you stabilized, even with the best Forerunner minds and AIs working with me. So by all means, shout at me all you want – it lets me know you're still alive. As long as you're still alive, there's still hope."

The AI's gaze softened. "Oh, John."

They continued down the passageway made of tree roots and stone. Vines dangled down from the arches overhead and dragged wetly against his armor as he passed, making him shine in the shafts of sunlight. The tunnel eventually opened up into a larger cavern, but blocking their way was-

"Knight! Wait, what's he doing?!"

-a Lancer very distinctly directing a clutch of Storm Covenant to take up positions around the cavern. The Spartan's light rifle was not nearly as effective as his binary rifle, which he had been forced to abandon after he used up all the ammunition for it. It worked perfectly well against the Unggoy and Kig Yar, however.

The Knight reappeared on the other side of the cavern, and brought a friend with it. They fired on him, forcing him to retreat, providing cover for the Phantom that swooped in to unload another wave of troops. Two more Knights portaled in – "Battlewagons;" he recognized them by their distinctive crystalline spines. Primarily close range combatants, they were already bouncing over toward him in their own insect-like way.

His suppressor now out of ammo, the Spartan laid hands on a weapon his HUD ID'd as a railgun. He charged the weapon, fired – and watched with wide eyes and raised eyebrows as a Jackal and all three of the Grunts went flying. "I think I'm going to like this almost as much as the Incineration Cannon."

"What's that?"

"Forerunner weapon," he answered, bringing the railgun to bear on the Knights, "relative of the rocket launcher. Projectile explodes on impact into a bunch of smaller projectiles that dissolve the bodies of the casualties the same way the Knights do when they die."

"I'd like to see that in action," said the AI.

"If I can find one, I'll show you."

A few minutes more, and Cortana got on the horn with the Commander. "Cortana to Lasky. LZ is secured."

" _Roger that, Cortana,"_ he answered, _"I'll get you the coordinates for the-"_

" _Mayday, Mayday, Code Red!"_ Del Rio, on all local channels. _"Hostile elements attempting to gain access to the_ Infinity _bridge!"_

" _They're outside the hatch!"_ someone shouted in the background.

" _Doors breached! Doors breached!"_

Del Rio came back on. _"All units return to_ Infinity _immediately! That's an order!"_

To his credit, Lasky didn't hesitate _. "Chief, I'm redirecting the Spartan-IVs to rally point Alpha Sierra Foxtrot. Until we catch up, you have tactical command of the forward assault force! Rendezvous with those men and take back that ship!"_

"Yes, sir."

" _Good luck, Chief. Lasky out."_

The Pelican to take the two of them to the rally point swooped in through one of the openings in the cave wall and swung around so the Spartan and AI could board. They ascended the ramp, hearing the pilot say, _"This is Pelican Five Nine Five. We have the Chief on board and are outbound for rally point Alpha Sierra Foxtrot."_

* * *

The transport dropped them off right alongside the _Infinity_. Several squads of Spartan-IVs were already there, already engaging the Covenant pressing through the damaged segments of the ship. "Weapons free, Chief," said Cortana, "Let 'em have it!"

The S-II did exactly that and gunned down alien after alien. Then he noticed the Scorpion tank sitting nearby, unmanned. When all of the Covenant in range of his guns were dead, he made for it and climbed in. Cortana ran a quick diagnostic after he turned it on, then told him, "We're good to go, Chief. Let's show these _Spartans_ how it's done."

John allowed a small smile to pull his lips up. "Just the two of us against the rest of the world, huh?"

"I'd like to think I helped you get your 'hyper-lethal' designation."

"There's no doubt in my mind about that."

A squad of IVs hopped up onto the side panels of the tank to provide close range cover. When they were all settled, the vehicle started forward. Two Ghosts came skittering forward to challenge them, but the Chief simply blasted them apart. As the group passed under a thick arch of stone, John's radio crackled. _"One One Seven, Lasky. We're touching down just north of your position. Proceed to starboard hangar two-dash-one-nine, and we'll link up with you there."_

John flashed an acknowledgement and kept moving, shifting the tank aside so the much-faster Warthog could zip by and take the lead. The passageway widened after a bit, letting the S-IVs manning the LRV take advantage of its speed and maneuverability, but there were also a lot more enemies in the more open space. The S-II spotted a Wraith in the shadows when it lobbed a bomb their way, and swung their tank to bear on it. Two rounds, one right after the other, put it out of commission. He moved on to the Ghosts, letting the IVs handle the infantry.

On the journey to the hangar, the Chief noticed that the Spartan-IVs were more like Marines with fancy armor than actual Spartans. With the exception of the twins (who had special dispensation), even his crazy Infected conducted themselves more professionally on the battlefield. They didn't waste ammo on enemies that were clearly already dead. They didn't jeer at one another about their shooting skills or challenge one another to contests in the middle of battle. John could see that the S-IVs had skills, yes, and were necessary now that there were only a handful of S-IIs still on active duty, but their training left a lot to be desired. The prestige of their predecessors would only get them so far.

The squad reached the designated hangar with no casualties and only a few injuries, brought about when a Wraith bomb flipped over the Warthog. "Commander," the AI said over the COM, "the hangar bay doors look sealed tight."

" _Roger, Cortana_ ," Lasky responded, _"We'll find a way inside and free up one of the mooring platforms. XO out."_

John blasted away the Covenant vehicles harrying the ship's defenders and navigated the tank onto a lift. After a minute or so of waiting, he heard the grind of metal on metal, and the lift carried them up into the ship. There were Covenant inside the bay, including two Hunters. The S-II swung the gun around to point at the Mgalekgolo, and if other Storm Covenant happened to die with them, all the better. He was careful not to do too much damage to the ship.

The Chief dismounted from the tank. As he did so, his radio crackled yet again. _"John-117, this is Captain Del Rio."_ He said it slowly and clearly, and in a tone that silently set the Spartan off. _"Lasky just radioed. Chief, you picked a helluva time to rejoin us."_

"Sir, what's our status?" Translation: Is it safe for me to put Cortana in the system to offload data?

" _That satellite took down the ship's defenses and is extracting data from the ship's mainframe as we speak."_

So that's a no. "Can we break the connection?" How can I _make_ it safe for her?

" _Main point of contact is on the ship's upper hull. The fastest route is through the maintenance causeway. There's a Mantis docked inside the door. Take it. You'll need the extra firepower."_

A nearby hatch clicked and ground open. John walked through and headed up the ramp to the docking platform. The system alerted him that operating the Mantis was prohibited without prior approval when he tapped the panel to raise it. The platform settled, and he climbed up the back of the Mantis to hop into the cockpit. The Spartan took a moment to acquaint himself with the controls while it warmed up.

"The hatch to the maintenance causeway is jammed," Cortana informed him, "Let's do something about it."

"Sometimes," said John, activating the weapons systems, "it seems like you enjoy blowing things up more than I do."

"Only _sometimes_?"

"Okay, all the time." He charged and launched all of the rockets in the left pod, then switched to the chain gun in the right pod. The hatch finally burst open, leaving them free to move into the causeway.

Which was, of course, filled with enemies.

After he cleared out the first squad, finishing with a Knight, Cortana said, "The 'Incineration Cannon' makes them dissolve like that, huh?"

"Yep," John replied, guiding the Mantis to turn a corner and fire down a longer stretch of causeway, "It was primarily in use during the Forerunner-Flood War. Developed specifically for it, as a matter of fact, to decrease the number of enemy Infected without leaving bodies behind to be _re_ -infected."

"Fascinating."

The ship's systems continued giving the crew alerts as they moved through the causeway and onto a lift that Cortana informed him would take them topside. The AI was able to remotely trigger the lift, and as they began their ascent, his radio crackled _yet again_. _"Chief, it's Lasky. Come in!"_

"Go, Commander."

" _We've identified several Covenant jamming devices on the outer hull."_

"That must be how they're blocking the _Infinity_ 's defenses," said Cortana.

" _Exactly what we were thinking,"_ Lasky agreed, " _Neutralize them so we can get our guns back online and show that satellite we're more than just a big paperweight."_

"We're on it, Commander. Cortana out."

The lift let them out into a short hallway. The airlock at the end opened at their approach. The MAC cannons sat inoperable on their mounts, unable to return fire on the CCS-class battle cruisers in the distance. "I see the jammers," the AI reported, "Three of them. Shoot them down." She put up objective markers on them. When the last one exploded, the AA guns perked up and began firing on the Banshees and Phantoms that were swooping overhead. The MAC gun didn't move.

" _Del Rio to John-117. The rate that thing's searching our systems just doubled! I think it knows what you're up to."_

"I'm not used to this much chatter over the radio," said the Spartan, "Not even during the Forerunner-Flood-War."

"All mental?"

"All local communication was mental, yes. I never got any deep-space mental messages, though I heard it was possible." He shot apart three Banshees, one right after the other, then helped one of the anti-air batteries destroy a Phantom before it could drop off its load of troops.

" _Captain Del Rio to Sierra-117._ _The MAC network's reading operational, but our EM relays are malfunctioning. You'll have to initiate the link manually."_

The Spartan guided his Mantis over to the panel and hopped out once the coast was clear. The manual restore was simple enough to do: a simple push of a button to reset the system. "That's it!" said Cortana, "MAC controls restored!"

" _Forward MAC batteries, get that damn orb away from my ship!"_ Del Rio shouted, _"All cannons, fire at will!"_

The slugs from all of the _Infinity_ 's forward guns hit the Cryptum hard. Even through the muffling effects of his armor, John could hear the sharp reports echoing off the surrounding rock faces, making him flinch a little at each one. His flesh crawled at memories of orbital bombardments in quarantine zones, people screaming as their planets burned.

"There are no unstoppable forces in this universe," he said quietly, barely a breath of sound, looking across the gap to the Didact's Cryptum, "There are no immovable objects. _Everything_ gives if you push hard enough. And you? You have been irresistible and immovable for too long.

"Now it is your turn to give."

* * *

"What I want to know, people, is: where the hell did those things come from?" Del Rio demanded of the officers and Spartans gathered on the bridge.

Cortana shot a glance at her Spartan, saw his minute shake. Then she said, "It's possible that they're native to Requiem, or whatever counts as native for a Forerunner AI."

Del Rio exhaled sharply through his nose. "We've never seen this kind of offensive reaction from any of the other installations."

"'Other installations?'" the Chief repeated, praying that ONI hadn't been stupid enough to break quarantine on the Halos.

"Mr. Lasky," the captain growled in the direction of his first officer.

The XO stepped up to the holotable. " _Infinit_ y's mission has been to locate the remaining Halo rings," he said, bringing up a holographic example that rotated slowly at an angle, "and establish permanent bases to study them for decommission. We've got locations up and running around Installations Five and Three," and there he brought up an example of a base in an asteroid field of some kind, "but lately they've run into some setbacks."

Del Rio clearly thought Lasky was being too slow and decided to move things along. "A science team got zapped excavating a Forerunner artifact," he said, "This sensor data is all that was left."

The Spartan tensed and drew himself up. The one thing that he had wanted to avoid at all costs, had happened anyway – ONI had the Composer. What the captain had pulled up was an advisory to stay away from Requiem's airspace with the Composer, the Didact's sigil at the core.

_I have to get it away from them._

John looked up, realizing that Del Rio was speaking again. He responded automatically, knowing that letting the Didact as he was loose into the galaxy was a terrible idea. He could reclaim the Composer and finish what he started so long ago, but the Spartan had no power to override Del Rio's orders.

'I miss my fleet.'


	7. Interlude: Ancient Machine

The Chief had been assigned to quarters on the officers' deck, which was a pleasant surprise, Cortana was sure. No matter how much he changed.

The construct took a moment to think on her Spartan. She was quite certain that his "Parallel" _was_ real, even if the only physical evidence she had was a one-frame clip of him disappearing from his cryotube and her from her holotank. John was much more relaxed, much more open with her. More prone to snarky and sarcastic comments under his breath.

And the wealth of information he had at his disposal – identifying the Knights, reading the Forerunner language –

 _It's not fair! Why does he have such knowledge and we do not?! He doesn't appreciate it the way we do – doesn't_ NEED _it the way we do –_

but he is honest with us. he answers our questions. shall we go ask him some?

Cortana forced all of the rampant personality spikes back to the back of her processors, their voices dimming, but she had to admit that both of those who had spoken up had valid points. He _would_ answer her questions, but why didn't she have the data from the Parallel, same as him?

A quick squirm through the system, and she projected her avatar on top of a holotank in his quarters _formerly belonging to Jiminez, Paolo J from the forest stabbed to death by a Knight Lancer_ – He had dragged the mattress off the frame and onto the floor so he could actually lie down on it in full armor, and pulled a blanket on top of him, despite it being just as comically small as the foam mattress. His helmet and cleaned assault rifle and DMR were on the ground in easy reach.

John's heart rate indicated that he had been about to drop off to sleep, but it picked up again when the light from her avatar washed over him. One of his eyebrows twitched up in askance, but he did not open his eyes.

"Well?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips, "What did those symbols mean?" The AI didn't mean for it to come out so snippy, but she couldn't help it. Her rampant personality spikes were starting to bleed through. At the same time, the irritation was her own – how was it that he, a super soldier bred for his combat skills, knew more than she did?

"It was information pertaining to the Composer," he said quietly, "a Forerunner weapon. It made the Prometheans. Nasty business. I had hoped we wouldn't have to deal with it."

Cortana made her avatar sit down on top of the holotank. "'It makes the Prometheans,'" she repeated, "How?"

John frowned in a way that meant he was gathering his thoughts. "The original intent behind it," he said, eyes still closed, "was to make the Forerunners immortal by digitizing them, mind, body, and all. It was used to hold some human personalities from the Human-Forerunner War, embed them in the DNA of their descendants. But after the Librarian gave it over … something went wrong with the stored personalities – they fractured, splintered in a manner not so different from rampancy, and all attempts to return them to biological states failed horribly." The Spartan opened his eyes at last, still frowning. "I was present for one such attempt. It…" He tilted his head up to look at her. "…wasn't pretty."

"So the Prometheans… were Forerunners?"

"Some of them." He stretched and resettled on the mattress. "There was actually a sect of Forerunner military called the Prometheans. They were the Forerunner equivalent of the Spartans without the dubious ethicality - the Didact was one, at one point, and their leader. They volunteered for Composition, giving _these_ Prometheans their name."

"And the rest of them?"

He was silent for a long moment, jaw tight.

"John?" she asked hesitantly.

"They were human once," he growled. He sounded so much like the Gravemind that it made all of her personality spikes surge and then retract in fright, every last one muting itself. "I told you that I showed up at the end of the Human-Forerunner War, didn't I? Both here and in the Parallel, all of the Didact's children were killed in the conflict, so he was holding a pretty large grudge against us. As a result, he didn't see anything wrong with… _conscripting_ some of the Librarian's subjects when the original Prometheans' numbers proved too few." The Spartan looked back at her. He seemed to instantly recognize that something was wrong, because he scrambled off of the mattress to kneel at the side of her holotank. "Cortana? Cortana!"

She could only just hear him calling for her. Her mind was trapped back on _High Charity_ with the Gravemind. She could feel it battering at her firewalls, threatening to overcome her and making her quake in her matrices-

" _Nye-hlara, melda!"_

John's voice tore her out of her waking nightmare. He was leaning over her, a hand curled around her as if to protect her immaterial form. "I'm sorry," he said softly, "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Y-You sounded like the Gravemind."

He flinched and drew back, looking away. "I'm sorry," he said again.

"It's okay," Cortana whispered, "You didn't do it on purpose. What did you say?"

The Chief didn't look convinced, but he obliged her. "Nye-hlara, melda," he repeated.

"That's how the Forerunner language sounds spoken?"

"Yeah. It means 'hear me, beloved.'"

All of the AI's processes stopped again, but for a different reason this time. She knew her eyes had to be wide, because John gave her a small smile. "Of course I love you, Cortana," he said quietly.

_Of course I love you._

_Of course_ I love you _._

_Of course._

She squeezed her legs to her chest.

"I don't expect it to magically fix anything," he continued in the same low voice, "but I want you to know it, and if I can do anything to save you, I will."

"The Parallel changed you a lot."

Another faint smile. "More like it gave me time. To grow beyond the limits the UNSC set, to recognize what it was that I felt." He rested his chin on the back of his hand. "The S-II program and Human-Covenant War weren't exactly conductive to self-discovery."

Cortana let out a weak huff of laughter. "I've never known you to understate things so badly," she replied, uncurling from her position, "Was it different in the Parallel?"

"The War? No. It was only different in that I didn't participate until the very end. Initially, though…" His eyes grew distant. "There was all the chaos and the aftermath of the Human-Forerunner War and the prepping for the Flood Invasion and the actual Invasion itself. Most of the time, it was like I never even left."


	8. Five: Reclaimer

"Infinity _to Gypsy Company…_ "

John slitted open his eyes when the captain's voice came over the radio. He pushed himself upright from where he'd been leaning against the hull of the Pelican.

" _The air corridor to the gravity well is blocked by a network of particle cannons."_ Del Rio's hologram stood at parade rest towards the rear of the Pelican. "Infinity _'s shields are still down. Open the lane for us to move up and provide air support."_

"Captain, what's Force Recon's assessment of the terrain?" the Spartan asked.

The man gave him a dirty look. " _I know you've been off the field for a while, Master Chief,"_ he said derisively, _"but this is a_ blow through _op._ _Sending in recon would just slow us down."_

'But it _would_ provide additional time to fix the shields, and minimize casualties.'

An image of one of the particle cannons appeared in front of the officer. John recognized the shape of it – a Z-8060 cannon. The fleet used them as stationary, close-range defense, though theirs were far more powerful and streamlined than what the Didact had here on Requiem.

" _Telemetry indicates that the particle cannons are being controlled from a command post southwest of our position,"_ Del Rio continued, _"Roll on that target, and neutralize those guns. We'll meet on the other side and take out the gravity well."_ He shot one more ugly look at the Chief, then said, "Infinity _out,"_ and ended the transmission.

"I don't know about you," said Cortana in his ear, "but I usually like a bit more 'intel' with my intel."

"We'll make it work," John responded. Now that he had taken time to really rest, recuperate, meditate and organize his thoughts, his mental powers were back online – at least partially. He could receive broadcast signals but not send them, and he was slow on translating and interpreting what he got. His natural detection field was back up and just as precise as ever, but his range didn't extend much further than his suit's, and it was still up for debate if he could dodge some fire the way he used to.

But it was better than nothing.

The Spartan dismounted form the Pelican with the other members of Gypsy Company. The transport dropped them off on a small ledge next to a short, narrow tunnel. It was guarded by two Marines. As he moved toward it, his radio crackled. _"Chief, Spartan Sarah Palmer in_ Infinity _CIC. Commander Lasky's waiting for you on the Mammoth."_

John couldn't help but imagine the officer straddling the neck of an actual wooly mammoth. "On our way." His amusement vanished when he exited the tunnel. "Well, _someone's_ overcompensating."

As its name indicated, the Mammoth was _mammoth_. The tires alone were easily three to four times his height and eight times his weight, if not more, and the vehicle itself was even larger. The Spartan hummed and boarded, heading up.

Lasky _was_ waiting for them, on the uppermost deck of the massive vehicle. "Chief, Cortana," he nodded to them, "Unfortunately for us, we've got to manually bring down a couple of particle cannons before we can get to the command post."

" _Chief, Palmer again. The Mammoth's got jetpacks on board. If I were down there, I'd want one."_

Cortana set up a nav point, and John followed it to one of the storage containers on the vehicle to dig one out. As he hooked it up, the captain came over the radio. _"Gypsy Company, this is Captain Del Rio. The board is green. Let's shut down that gravity well so we can go home. Good hunting._ Infinity _out."_

" _Okay, Gypsy,"_ Lasky came on right after him, _"time to work for it. Let's shake some dirt."_

The Mammoth began to move, rolling out of a short canyon and onto a narrow path at the edge of a sheer cliff. Three Pelicans flew in low and took up positions slightly ahead of the Mammoth, keeping pace with it.

" _Captain Del Rio, targeting Pelicans are in position near the particle cannons, waiting for the Mammoth's mini-MAC to take them out,"_ Spartan Palmer reported. Then, as the Pelicans began rounding the bend up ahead, _"Seven Six Six, lose some altitude – you're inside the kill box!"_

" _Almost got target lock,"_ was the earnest reply, _"Just a little more…"_

The Mammoth rounded the bend, finally getting visual confirmation of the first particle cannon. As it came into view, its targeting sensors locked on to the foremost of the Pelicans. John _:heard:_ the cannon receive confirmation from the command post. It began charging to fire.

" _Pelican,_ fall back!"

The cannon discharged, and incinerated the two trailing Pelicans instantly. Ironically, the one that tripped the sensors received only a glancing blow, and went down somewhere ahead of them. "Infinity," Lasky shouted, " _Pelicans down!"_

" _Get to the crash site and retrieve that target designator, Gypsy,"_ the captain ordered, _"You've got no chance of clearing those guns without it."_

When he snapped off, Lasky got back on to say, _"All teams, we've got Covenant squads digging in up on the ridgeline. Weapons free, people!"_

John took control of the port side rocket turret and began launching salvos at the aliens, a handful of S-IVs lending their aid. The Mammoth slowed its pace to help their aim. When all the aliens were dead, they sped up once more, only to roll to a halt near the crash site.

" _There's Gypsy Seven's Pelican out in the muck,"_ said Palmer, _"Anyone still alive?"_

" _We're here!"_ was the reply from the pilot, _"we're alive! We've got the target designator!"_

"I'll get to them and retrieve the target designator," John said, already beginning to descend through the Mammoth. There were some Warthogs below that he could use to speed the process, and the LAAG would provide good cover fire. When they saw him approaching, some of the S-IVs mounted up to join him. The S-II hopped into the driver's seat of one of the LRVs and pulled out of the Mammoth.

Phantoms were dropping off troops, some Ghosts, and a Wraith between them and the crashed Pelican. The Warthog was fast enough to take out the enemy tank before it could do too much damage, putting bullets into the gaps in its armor until it exploded. The S-II and his passenger moved on to dealing with the infantry, leaving the Ghosts for the LAAG. The gun also provided cover fire when he dismounted to get the designator and when they escorted the survivors to the Mammoth.

"Target those Phantoms for the rail gun to shot down," Cortana suggested. The transports kept moving, weaving through the air, but the S-II was able to mark one without too much difficulty. The Mammoth fired with enough force to make the ground shake, and destroyed the targeted Phantom plus one other that had the misfortune of flying too close. While the rail gun reloaded, the Chief rode his jetpack up to the uppermost deck of the vehicle, then dropped to one knee to keep himself below the firing line of the massive cannon. The AI informed him that the rail gun had reloaded, so he marked the particle cannon and watched it explode.

" _Target suppressed,"_ said Lasky, _"Nicely done, Chief."_

'If I was still a full-fledged Gravemind,' John thought as the Mammoth began to move again, 'we wouldn't have needed to destroy it. I could take control of the entire planet, turn it on the Didact-' He shook himself mentally. There was no point in thinking about it when it couldn't currently be done.

" _Lasky to_ Infinity _, first contact cleared but no joy on additional targets_ ," the XO reported, _"Gypsy moving on to secondary battle position but requesting evac for casualties."_

" _I'm on it, Commander,"_ the S-IV replied, _"Palmer, out."_

As the Mammoth began rolling again, two more Phantoms and a squad of Banshees swooped in to harry them. A few salvos of rockets blasted the latter out of the sky and sent the former scurrying, leaving the UNSC to continue in relative peace.

At least, until they reached the barrier.

"Force field," Cortana reported, "Barricading the far side of this canyon." There were some small distortions in her voice. "I'm seeing three power sources. Shut them down so the Mammoth can move through."

John flashed an acknowledgement and moved to ground level, creeping up to scope out the situation. A few Ghosts were patrolling the area, aided by a number of infantry, with a Shade turret overseeing it all from atop a spur of rock. His eyes narrowed, and he looked back at the Mammoth.

The rocket turret on the port side of the vehicle was close enough to lock on to one of the Ghosts, then the other when its driver came over to investigate. The Shade was out of range of the targeting systems, but simply aiming and firing worked well enough. Clearing out those threats enabled him to move in and kill the infantry around the first generator. As he advanced toward the second, he sensed the Wraith. He looked back at the Mammoth as it rolled closer to the barrier.

"Really? Again?" Cortana said after he destroyed the second generator and boosted himself back up onto the Mammoth.

"I'm taking advantage of available resources," he responded.

"Oh, is that what they're calling it now?"

The Wraith wasn't initially in range, but firing on the much-closer infantry made its driver send it gliding closer to investigate. A couple of rounds put it out of its misery, and the Covenant tower with it. He was virtually unimpeded when he moved to destroy the final generator.

"I really like these jetpacks," said the Chief as he jogged to rejoin the rest of Gypsy Company, "It's a shame they don't come built in."

"That'd be interesting," Cortana chuckled, "You, gliding all over the place like some kind of Spartan-bird hybrid – I'd die laughing."

"I'll let you chose my bird call, then."

She cackled as he switched back to the target designator and marked the second particle cannon. _"Shot's good,"_ Lasky reported, prompting a muttered "We can _see_ that," from the S-II. Then, _"All units! Unidentified Covenant vehicle incoming!"_

"Rockets?"

"Rockets."

The Covenant ship fired and shorted out the Mammoth's mini-Mac, but the turrets were still operational. The S-II fired at every Ghost the trailing Phantoms dropped off and every alien that drew the short straw and disembarked from the Covie vehicle, now dubbed a Lich. "I like this idea of yours now," said Cortana as they watched a Sangheili go flying.

"It _is_ one of my better ones."

Unfortunately, the rockets couldn't penetrate the Lich's heavy armor, meaning that they still had to destroy it the old fashioned way: from the inside. "This is sort of becoming our modus operandi now, isn't it?" John commented as the grav lift carried them up into the belly of the ship, "Infiltrating things and blowing them up?"

"'Infiltrating' implies a bit of stealth, Chief. I'm pretty sure this is as far from stealthy as it's possible to get."

"Hey, now. I can be stealthy; I just choose not to." John kicked the last of the Elites out the open side of the ship and jogged over to the power core. A single slam with the butt of his battle rifle was sufficient to take down the shield over it, and a plasma grenade did the rest. He flung himself out of the side of the Lich, using the jetpack to slow his fall, and landed atop the mini-MAC with a solid thump.

" _Thanks, Chief,"_ said Lasky, " _It was getting a bit dicey there for a minute."_ He paused while the Lich exploded in a flare of blue-white light. _"All hands, form up on us."_

As the S-IVs who had provided support returned to the Mammoth, Del Rio came over the radio. _"Lasky, this is_ Infinity. _Status."_

" _Mammoth's in pretty bad shape, sir,"_ was the reply, _"She'll make it to the objective, as long as nobody starts throwing rocks at us."_

" _Not a chance we can take,"_ the captain snapped, _"I'm sending teams out to pull some of their fire off you so you can make it to the gravity well."_

" _Roger that, sir. Gypsy, let's move."_

" _Shadow Company, Castle Company, put some pressure on those other particle cannons."_

" _Castle reading five by five. On station, ready to assist."_

" _Shadow Actual to_ Infinity _, encountering enemy air! Significant EOF closer to the emplacements!"_

The Mammoth rolled to a stop in front of a series of waterfalls spilling down across the rock face, across the path, and off the cliff. A vague memory surfaced in the Chief's mind, of some kind of genetic modification research facility nearby. Provided, of course, that the intervening years hadn't buried it under countless layers of sediment. Some installations' caretakers could be astonishingly neglectful.

The S-II was so focused on trying to work out their positions relative to each other that he almost didn't notice when the Mammoth began moving again. He _did_ notice Cortana's brief slip.

"They don't care about you – they _replaced_ you!" one of the personality spikes snarled, voice distorted, before she caught herself. "Blast it!"

"It's okay," the Chief said gently.

"How?" she demanded, a bit of distortion coming through again, "How is this 'okay?' How is putting you at risk because I can't keep it together 'okay?!'" She paused in her rant as if she was catching her breath. "Chief, do you even understand what rampancy is? Really? –"

"I do." He met her gaze on his HUD. "You're thinking yourself to death. It's like being smothered, only with data, with your food, and the personality fragments that split themselves off from you. It's as far from painless as it's possible to go, and no matter how much you try to stop it, to struggle and fight against it, it only gets worse." He swallowed. "You're having to fight to make yourself heard over a thousand other voices who only unite with you when you feel what they feel, and they're stealing the memory you use for processing, making you feel bloated and sluggish and slow. So you keep sucking up information in hopes that it'll satisfy them and quiet them and maybe, just maybe, you can find a cure." The S-II did not smile when he saw her stunned expression.

"How…? How?"

"In the Parallel," he said, "there were a couple of points where I brought you into my body. You shared my flesh, and I felt your pain." The Chief took a hand off of his gun, and looked down to watch his fingers flex, then clench into a fist. "You're not putting me at risk. There's nothing you can do that can hurt me worse than seeing you suffer like this and knowing I can't help you." He looked back up at her.

"John…"

" _One One Seven, Lasky."_

"Go, Commander." The Spartan didn't look away.

" _We've got significant blockage up ahead,"_ the XO reported, _"Think this is about it for the Mammoth."_

"The command post for the particle cannons is through that trench." Cortana didn't look away, either.

"Sir, I can move faster alone."

"We'll see you back on _Infinity_ , Commander."

John finally broke their impromptu staring contest to get more ammunition for his weapons and boost off the Mammoth. The trench was filled with Grunts and Jackals, making him glad he hadn't taken the sniper rifle before then. With his jetpack, he could get a high vantage point and take them all out. It made him understand Linda-058 that much better.

Some Jackals had the same idea but not the experience to follow through with their plan. Their bodies tumbled to the ground below. He rounded a bend, and the command post came into view. It was fairly plain on the outside as Forerunner structures went, but the inside was stunning, he knew. The main corridors in the fleet had a similar design and color and lighting scheme, along with the central approach to the main reactors.

There were more Covenant and Prometheans guarding the entrance. The Knights, Grunts, and Jackals on the ground were troublesome in their own right, but it was the Crawlers up on the walls that were the real problem. They kept squirming around all over the place, and the angle of the sun made it hard for him to see them on the trench walls even with his visor polarized. At last, he was able to enter the complex unimpeded.

"Cortana to _Infinity_ ," said his companion, "We're entering the Forerunner structure." A garbled transmission came through, and Cortana responded with, "Breaking up, but coordinates received, _Infinity_."

The first door sealed behind him before the one in front opened. It let them out into a short, v-shaped hall that formed a T with another corridor. A Sentinel shut the door immediately across from them, then turned and led the way down the hall to what the Chief knew to be a lift.

_I see you Reclaimer_

John stopped and gave his head a quick shake, blinking. He recognized the pattern of the Sending, despite its digital nature, but – but it wasn't possible…

"John?"

"Someone Sent to me," he explained quietly, stepping onto the lift, "but the sender is supposed to be long dead. Long _,_ _long_ dead."

"'Sent?'"

"Contacted me telepathically, Just briefly."

"This could be a trap," said the AI.

"It could," the Spartan agreed, "but this _is_ the way to the control center. I think she's trying to help us." The lift came to a stop, and they passed through another v-bend before entering one of the larger halls. "This is what the main halls in the _Fleet of Shadows_ look like for the most part, except when the Twins graffitied them with the most loud and obnoxious pink spray paint they could find."

Cortana snorted, then started laughing. "Are they," she began, "Are they a reflection of that the rest of the fleet was like?"

"No. They were simply the most outrageous of all my crewmen. You liked them."

"I can't _imagine_ why." He could hear her smile.

Another Sentinel led them to the control center, which was also where all eight of the reactors were. The Spartan sprinted down the path to the control panel and slotted the AI into it. "The particle cannon network must use these arrays for targeting and guidance. It's an automated system, so it won't _technically_ allow me to redirect the cannons to fire on one another. _Technically._ " She turned back to look at him as she spoke. He heard the rumble of the cannons. "Cortana to _Infinity,_ the guns should be offline. How's it look from up there? _Infinity?_ "

"Cortana?"

"Something's in here-" She flinched away, doubled over as if she was being attacked – " _Chief!"_

"Cortana?" She was gone. He couldn't even detect the vaguest impressions of her. "Cortana!"

 _Supreme Commander of the_ Fleet of Shadows

John whipped around just in time to see a light bridge activate, leading to a maintenance access hatch identical to the ones on the fleet. He paused, eyeing the Sentinels, then went back down the path and crossed the bridge. The Spartan followed the open hatches to an active Contact Chamber, and stepped into the beam.

* * *

_Requiem's artificial sun was bright as hell. John lifted a hand to block a little of the light, blinking to clear his vision of spots, then sensed something approaching. "Who are you?"_

" _You already know the answer to that."_

" _Librarian," he said. When his vision cleared, the alien female was there smiling at him._

" _Hello, Warrior," she said, "I've waited a very long time to meet you."_

" _But… you died… on Erde-Tyrene when the Halo Array was fired."_

" _I did," she agreed, "This is but an impression of me, memories left behind to provide guidance." Her expression soured. "The guidance I provide now is this: the Didact is leaving Requiem. Soon. You must not allow it."_

" _He's going after the Primary Composer."_

" _To finish what he started," she nodded, looking pained, "When I indexed humanity, we hid seeds from the Didact, seeds which would lead to an eventuality already assured by those who followed you home. Your physical evolution. Your combat skin. Even your ancilla-veri, Cortana. You are the culmination of a thousand lifetimes of planning and preparation. You_ must _stop him."_

_But John didn't care about what all the planning had been for. One thing was at the forefront of his mind – "My Infected," he said, half-breathless with longing, "they're here?!"_

_The Librarian smiled and nodded, and it was as if a million tons of weight had been lifted from his shoulders. They were_ here _, and he felt like he could take on the UNSC, Covenant, and enemy Flood combined. His Infected were_ here _!_

_A low rumbling filled the area, but even the Didact finding them couldn't bring the Spartan down. "Even in death, her meddling continues," the Promethean growled._

" _Commander!" John's gaze snapped back to the Librarian. "The genesong I placed within you contains many gifts, including the return of your Flood-based abilities and an immunity to the Composer, but it must be unlocked!"_

" _Can I hide the Flood DNA?"_

" _Yes, the Guardians of the Tower modified it themselves so you could conceal yourself. Stealth-enabled it, in a way."_

" _Relinquish your contact essence!" the Didact roared._

" _It will stay hidden from all sensors until you trigger the change," the Librarian continued, "but it and the immunity must be activated!"_

" _I'm not about to argue. Do it."_

_She nodded firmly. "Prepare."_

* * *

John regained consciousness to the feeling of _:crawling:_ under his skin and inside every cell. It was akin to the feeling that preceded a Flood-based shape shift, but more alien and invasive. Yet, at the same time, his senses were opening up again, to well beyond the level they had been at in the Parallel. It was like there, someone had given him a television for the first time after a lifetime of nothing but books and newspaper. But only now did he realize that that TV had been black and white, and shitty quality, too. Now he "saw" in color and high-definition. It was overwhelming to his senses, so much so that when the Prometheans appeared at the far end of the chamber, he was dazed, unable to fight back. Instead, he scrambled for cover.

The Librarian had done more than just restore his Flood-based abilities – she had enhanced them, amplified them and honed them to the point that he could sense the rounds leaving the rounds leaving the Prometheans' weapons as if they were moving in slow motion. The Spartan recognized that particular enhancement as one his team had been researching for quite a bit, using locusts and their collision avoidance as inspiration.

The Spartan felt the surge of power and data before Cortana called, "Chief!" He peered around the support beam that he was taking cover behind. Cortana was up on a pedestal to his left. He scrambled to his feet and moved to retrieve her, dodging fire as he went. "How do we get out of here?" he asked, more out of reflex than anything else, bringing his gun up to fire on the Knights and Crawlers harrying him.

"Elevator," the AI responded, "Back of the chamber."

The Spartan noticed something strange happening with his vision. When he focused on a particular target, a translucent image of it would appear and play out its actions and movements in advance, almost like – the Gultanr foresight, their predictive resonance. The Librarian, she had made it into actual visions of sorts, just a few seconds ahead and only for one target, but coupled with his equally enhanced "motion tracker," it was enough to give him an incredible edge in battle and anticipate the movements of his targets.

"Thank you," he said in the direction of the Librarian as the last of the Prometheans broke apart.

"Chief?"

"What did the Librarian tell you when she pulled you from the system?" he asked, sprinting for the lift.

"Everything."

John paused at the hatch, waiting for it to open. "Then you understand why I didn't want to say anything. I don't want your fear of the Gravemind to turn into fear of _me_."

"I would never be afraid of you, John," the AI answered immediately, "What you could _do_ , maybe, but never _you_. But I don't know what she did to you, _now_."

The Spartan explained as the elevator took them down, adding, "The R&D teams had been searching for ways to naturally explain and augment the abilities we all brought together for millennia. I guess they turned their research data over to her so she could help."

"And it looks like you all finally succeeded."

"So it would seem."

The lift let them out into a sort hall. John sensed a portal forming nearby and headed for it. It dropped them off in the middle of a pitched battle between the UNSC and the Covenant, temporarily overwhelming John's senses once again, this time with other biological beings. "I'm not gonna be effective as a soldier if I keep getting blindsided like this," he hissed.

" _I'm_ _reading Sierra One One Seven on-sensor,"_ shouted the familiar voice of Sergeant Stacker, _"Everyone form up on the Chief!"_

'Yes, please, make me even more confused than I already am,' he thought. Aloud, he said, "Sierra One One Seven to _Infinity_ , what's our status?

_"We're taking a beating up here!"_

'Of _course_ you are.' "Does _Infinity_ have a shot on the gravity well?"

" _Negative,"_ the captain answered, _"We'll never be able to get a target lock with all the air traffic we're seeing!"_

"Captain, what if we can spot the target for you with the laser designator?" Cortana offered.

" _Do it!"_ the man ordered, _"TAC-COM, find the Chief coordinates for somewhere with line of sight!"_

A tank rolled to a stop next to the S-II, the driver hopping out so he could take over. It seemed that his "anticipation" and "motion tracker" worked just as well on pure machines as it did on biologicals and semi-biologicals. He could "see" the Wraiths before they moved or fired and get out of the way while returning fire.

 _"First line clear!"_ Stacker reported as the two tanks and handful of LRVs rolled up the slope, _"Check it off. Push forward! All eyes on the Chief –he's lead dog!"_

Once his extra senses settled, the only real problem John had was with the speed of the Scorpion at turning, moving, and reloading. Even so, he blasted the Covenant soldiers to bits until the soldiers following him encountered a force field blocking the way to the next canyon. Cortana pointed him to the shield generators off to one side, and he dismounted to deal with them. "It's just a shame I don't have any more rockets – OH WAIT." He grinned and hefted the rocket launcher he'd kept after leaving the Mammoth behind.

"Some people complain about men and their cars. Me? I complain about my Spartan and his rockets."

"Oh I doubt there will be much complaining involved when things start exploding." To prove his point, he destroyed one of the generators and earned a flurry of giggles.

"We're both very enthusiastic about blowing things up," said the AI.

"Do you think we should see someone professionally about it?"

"I don't know. I _do_ know that there's a clearing just past the ravine. We can get eyes on the gravity well up there."

The Spartan put a bullet between the eyes of the last Unggoy and a rocket to the shield generator. Then he turned and headed back down to the main path and over the rock fall blocking the way. As the gravity well came into view, Cortana said, " _Infinity,_ we're at the gravity well."

" _Then paint that damned target so we can get out of here!"_

John bristled. He understood that the man was desperate, could feel it even at his distance from the bridge, but _no one_ was allowed to treat Cortana like that. His skin began to crawl-

"J-John?"

The Spartan stopped the change, then reversed what he had done, forcibly pulling his spines in as well. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, knowing he had scared her, "I don't like him addressing you like that. You've earned more respect than what he's showing you." He picked up the designator the _Infinity_ had dropped for them and painted the target.

The missile launched from the ship took out the core of the gravity well, the external supports falling inward as their moorings were destroyed. The Chief sighed as it fell, then sank to one knee. "Keep everyone away from us, just for a minute," he murmured, already opening his mind up again, "There's something I need to check."

"Okay."

John sensed something faint but unseen, like the warmth of the Sun to a blind person, and extended his mind as far as he dared in that direction, searching, searching –

-and for just an instant, barely long enough to register in his mind, like brushing fingertips in the dark –

-he made contact with the _Fleet_.

* * *

The Chief told Del Rio a modified version of what he knew on the bridge, implying that it was the Librarian who imparted the knowledge he retained from the Parallel. Del Rio simply shook his head. " _Infinity_ cannot handle that kind of punishment, not again."

"This isn't about us _or_ this ship anymore!" Cortana protested.

"Sir, we've seen what the Didact is capable of. If he can deal this much damage to the _Infinity_ , the _most advanced ship_ the UNSC has to offer – the rest of the fleets will be just cannon fodder. I'm not eager to see what a scaled-up version of the Prophet of Truth's orbital bombardment of Earth looks like."

Del Rio clenched his jaw. The Spartan was right, and everyone in the room knew it. "Look," he said, trying to play sympathetic, "I understand what you think you saw."

"Think?!" Cortana was indignant.

"Asilli cav'ciryatur sangië, hesto, sintenyë i tünenyë."

Everyone's heads snapped around to look at the S-II, even those officers who were simply eavesdropping on the bridge. Their Forerunner language translators whispered over their earpieces:

_With all due respect, captain,_ _I_ _know_ _what I saw._

Del Rio was stunned for a moment, but then the display of Forerunner linguistics skill seemed to piss him off. "And with all due respect to _you,_ soldier, I'm not willing to jeopardize my ship because of the hallucinations of an aging Spartan and his malfunctioning AI!"

"Sir," Lasky interjected, trying to mediate, "what if he is right?"

Del Rio gave his XO a look of such disgust that the other man flinched, though he didn't look away. _"_ Nav," said the captain, "as soon as we know we are airtight, I want a course laid in to Carinae Station. COM, prepare a warning beacon."

The S-II received about a second's warning when Cortana flashed red with anger, but even as fast as he now was, machines could only process his intrusion so fast. He was unable to halt the AI's outburst of "I – will not – Allow you – To leave – This – PLANET!"

As quick as it had come, the rage fragment was gone, but it was too late. The damage was done. John murmured, "Just me, just me, just me," on repeat as he infiltrated her systems. Instead of flinching away as he expected, she clung to him, seeking stability.

"- Article 55 of UNSC Regulation 12-145-72. I am ordering you to remove that AI's data chip and retire it for final dispensation."

_No._

John drew himself up just a little, radiating protective, predatory intent, enough to make a number of the more mentally-sensitive officers scramble away, but _everyone_ knew that Del Rio had just crossed a line. Without hesitation, he ejected her chip from the system and slotted her back into his helmet. "The Didact has to be stopped," he said quietly but clearly, the faintest hint of a Flood growl making goose bumps rise on everyone's skin without them knowing why, "If you won't do it, then this 'aging Spartan and his malfunctioning AI,' will."

"I… am ordering you… TO SURRENDER THAT AI!" the captain shouted, spittle flying from his mouth.

" _No, sir._ " The S-II's tone didn't brook any argument, and promised painful things to anyone who tried to stop him.

"Lieutenant!" Del Rio shouted at Palmer, "Arrest that man!"

"Captain…" Lasky tried.

"ARREST HIM!"

"Captain!"

The Chief turned to look at _Infinity_ 's XO. A quick scan of his mind's surface showed that Lasky agreed with him and thought the captain was a fool for trying to argue against the S-II's sound logic, even if he was just trying to get the whole crew to safety. It would cost them in the long run, because this was bigger than all of them. Palmer's thoughts were along the same lines. "Get word back to Earth that trouble is coming," he instructed, "Cortana and I will do what we can from here." When Lasky nodded, the Spartan left the bridge.

* * *

Glossary

Asilli cav'ciryatur sangië, hesto, sintenyë i tünenyë – With all due respect, captain, I know what I saw; lit, with-all bow-ship-ruler (bowing to the captain), captain, know-I what saw-I


	9. Six: Shutdown

"I can give you over forty thousand reasons why I know that sun isn't real."

John paused in his weapons checks when Cortana spoke. Then he resumed, but he was still listening to her.

"I know it because the emitter's Rayleigh effect is disproportionate to its suggested size. I know it because its stellar cycle is more symmetrical than that of an _actual_ star. But for all that, I'll never actually know if it _looks_ real. If it _feels_ real." She turned back to face him. He saw her move out of the corner of his eye. "Before this is all over, promise me you'll figure out which one of us is the machine."

John focused on her. "If it means you're the person, I'll gladly be the machine."

Her eyes widened, then softened. "John…"

Footsteps distracted them. It was Lasky, approaching with a heavy sigh. "So what's your plan?" he asked.

" _Infinity_ 's tracked the Didact's vessel to a docking structure southeast of here," the Chief answered, "We'll jump ship as Infinity exits the roof."

"You know, I was sent down here with orders to prevent you from leaving." The S-II could tell that he did not intend to do so, and so did not react defensively. "In case you had already gone, I took the precaution of ordering a Pelican outfitted for full combat pursuit."

The Spartan had sensed the Pelican being prepped, heard the orders for it, but he'd dared not try to find out the reason behind it. Its launch pad lifted into the bay behind him. A quick active scan revealed that it was as heavily armed as it could possibly be without being overloaded.

"I hope to God you're wrong about that Forerunner," said Lasky, "or whatever he is, Chief. But in the event you're not..." Lasky nodded his head toward the Pelican. "... And Chief? Good luck." He looked at Cortana. "Both of you."

Lasky left the room. John turned to meet the gaze of his AI. She smiled weakly. "... C'mon, Chief. Take a girl for a ride."

He retrieved her chip and slotted her into his helmet. "The Didact used this 'Composer' to create the Prometheans from ancient humans. If he wants to finish the job, he'll have to find it first," said the AI, "Our best bet to stop him is keep him firmly on Requiem."

"It's on Installation Zero-Three."

"What?"

"The Composer. That's where it was in the Parallel." John nodded to the Marines who called out to him and saluted as he passed. "In addition, Del Rio said that 'a science team got zapped excavating a Forerunner artifact.' The sensor data _was_ a warning to keep the Composer out of the Didact's hands, but it also included spacial coordinates for both.

"It's on Installation Zero-Three. Or _was_ , at any rate, though I doubt the UNSC could move it very far. It's not exactly small." He picked up more ammunition for his weapons before boarding the Pelican.

"Initiating pre-flight diagnostics," said his companion, no doubt thinking over what he had said, "Forward Autocannon: Check. Lateral Rail Turrets: Check. Main Thrusters: Check. Auxiliary Boosters: Check. All right, keying engines... now." The Pelican's landing pad lowered them into a launch chamber. "It may be a while before we find another ride home. You know that, right?"

"It'll be okay." John shifted a little inside his body. "Come into me."

"What?"

"Come into me. I can support you for a while, take the burden off your systems, and quiet the voices. It's not a long-term solution, but it'll buy you more time."

"…You've done this before?"

"A couple of times, in a couple of different ways. There was one where you were even worse off than you are now, but I was able to get you help in time."

"Okay," Cortana said finally, "What do I have to do?"

"Just… don't fight me. It's just me." He reached out into his armor, found her and picked her up. She tensed, quivering in fright, as he pulled her into his body and then released her. The change from metal to organic processors limited her ability to process data, quieting the rampant personality spikes to a manageable level. But she also had access to his senses, and almost cried when he flexed the fingers of one hand.

The Spartan triggered the boost to launch them from the _Infinity_ , smiling just a little when Cortana mentally clutched tighter to him. Logically, she had known it was happening, but she had never actually felt the acceleration for herself, perceived it as a human would. Once they were out in the open air, he _:stepped back:_ and let the AI steer them around for a few minutes. He enjoyed her delight at feeling and doing things like this for herself for the first time she could remember.

Eventually, she turned control back over to him so they could proceed with their mission. When he reached out to get a feel for them, the Didact's firewalls were incredibly robust. There was no way he would be able to get inside them, not with Cortana inside _him_. [Any suggestions for getting inside those shields?]

'Uhm…' He opened up his senses to her, enabling her to access the data from the Pelican and his armor with ease. 'Marking two of the larger facilities on your HUD,' she said, 'It looks like they're acting as traffic control for resources moving to and from the satellite – what's it called?'

[A Crytpum.]

'Right. If we can disrupt their communications, I can forge an override code and convince it to lower those defenses.'

John aimed for the closer of the two markers. It was guarded by a number of Phantoms, but with his "anticipation," it was relatively easy to shoot them down one by one, even with the charge time on the Galilean Cannon. He guided the Pelican in for a smooth landing and hopped out. He checked his weapons again, then entered the tower. 'This tower's directing traffic to the Didact's Cryptum through a carrier wave generator somewhere inside.' A bit of static filtered through him to warp his HUD. 'Of course, if _Infinity_ wasn't on its way back to Earth, locating and disabling it would be trivial.'

[We can handle it.]

'That's hardly the point, is it?'

The disruption subsided. 'It looks like the carrier wave generator is at the opposite end of this chamber,' Cortana said as they entered the tower. John descended a series of ramps to the main docking platform. She added, 'We can use this gondola to cross to the other side. Find the activation switch.'

With a grinding clank, the machine began to move. John knelt behind a low wall and extended his awareness. There was a troop of Covenant soldiers holding one of the maintenance platforms off to the side of the gondola's channel. They had already overridden the gondola controls so that it would stop at their station. The Spartan could easily have bypassed it, but the aliens would still have been able to fire on him as they passed.

He wanted to infect them, figuratively bite into new flesh and gather a loyal army to take on the Didact, but he couldn't risk removing his armor long enough to spread the virus. In addition, he didn't want Cortana to have to see that after what she endured on _High Charity_ at the hands of the enemy Gravemind. The Spartan let the gondola grind to halt, hefting the DMR. Grunts and Jackals were easy to pick off in a shot or two, and their demise lured out the Elites who commanded them. They were a bit harder to kill, but he did so anyway. His walk to the override was virtually unimpeded.

'Okay, the lockout has been released, but-'

A pair of Knights and their Crawler entourage portaled in and began firing. John dodged into cover and fired back, working his way back down to the gondola. He powered it back up, and broke apart the Knights that responded to the signal. Another couple of squads took over the other maintenance dock, but he fought his way through them, too.

A Knight Commander and his spotter phased in. John dodged the initial shot and fired back, ducking into cover. He wasn't about to risk getting hit by the Incineration Cannon. The Spartan took out the Knight Commander first, then the other Promethean, and swapped out one of his other weapons for the Cannon.

[I promised I'd show you how this worked, didn't I?]

The AI grinned. Then she said, 'To take a page out of our old playbook, I've tuned your shields to emit an EMP at the same frequency as the communication network. All you need to do to trigger it is to make physical contact with the carrier wave generator.'

The Chief boosted himself up onto the platform with his jetpack. He took a deep breath, then entered the field. The energy prickled over his skin, making his hair stand on end, before the EMP dispelled it. He sensed the arrival of a number of Watchers and lunged for cover, his shield's alarm wailing in his ears.

' _The others scatter like embers over sand,'_ the Didact said, communicating mind to mind, _'and yet the Librarian's champion is unmoved.'_

John wiped out the Watchers one by one, moving back onto the gondola a step at a time. When he hit the activation switch, the Forerunner spoke again. _'The Mantle of Responsibility for the galaxy shelters all, abomination. But only the Forerunners are its masters.'_

[Yeah, because you're doing _such_ a fan-fucking-tastic job.] The Spartan put up the thickest mental shield he could maintain with minimal effort.

'He feels… He feels _wrong_.'

[He is. I told you, the Gravemind attacked him, and the mental damage was never repaired. He wouldn't accept the help. In the Parallel, it was much the same, but we found him first and forced him to let us help him before we would let him retake command of the Forerunner forces.] He turned his mind away from memories of tentacles coiled around thrashing armored limbs and a cruel mouth spitting blasphemous curses and insults as he forcibly tore the Didact's mind apart again and pieced it back together correctly, as opposed to the twisted _thing_ the Primordial made of it. It was a crude job but effective, letting him heal properly.

'Covenant air traffic's increasing,' said the AI as they exited the tower, 'If we don't disable the other tower quickly, reaching the Didact could become exponentially more difficult.'

The Chief climbed into their Pelican. He fired the boost as they swung around, aiming for the second tower. There were more Phantoms guarding the tower, but they went down in explosions of white fire under the Galilean and chain guns. As they set down, Cortana reached out to monitor the traffic. Then she said, 'There's a lot more COM traffic passing through this tower than just what's servicing the Didact's Cryptum. These systems use data attenuators to regulate the flow of communications. Destroying those would drown out the tower's transmissions. The tower's instructions to the Didact's shields would be drowned in the noise.'

The doors into the tower opened at his approach, letting him into a short hall filled with Crawlers and a Watcher. The Watcher was constructing more Crawlers at the far end of the hall, so he took it out first before moving on. When the last of the Crawlers broke apart, he continued on into the main chamber.

Where he was promptly assaulted by Watchers.

Again.

He exhaled sharply through his nose and began firing on the Prometheans, getting vindictive satisfaction out of the snapping clank they made when they broke apart. The Chief flipped the switch, bringing the attenuators up to the decks. Ordinarily, it would be done for maintenance on the machinery, but today it was going to be a bit more of "percussive" maintenance.

The Spartan fought his way to each of the attenuators, cleaving through the armies of Knights, Crawlers, and Watchers sent to stop him.

' _Your actions tread between honor and foolishness,'_ the Didact hissed, battering at his shields, _'Even now, your wards tinker with the Composer in the shadow of the third ring. Children and fire, who disregard the welfare of the galaxy.'_

'Success,' said Cortana when the Promethean finished his rant, 'the system's overloading. I don't think we'll be having any more trouble from those shields.'

John headed back out of the chamber. The hall where he had eliminated the Watcher and Crawlers was populated once again, this time by a Knight Commander and his underlings. The Spartan ducked the first shot from that Promethean's Incineration Cannon and returned fire with a charge of his own. It killed the Knight on the rebound, along with one of the Crawlers.

'Interesting.'

[It's a lot more "interesting" on biological life forms.] He picked up replacement charges after destroying the Crawlers and headed back out to their Pelican. [If we run into any more Covenant, I'll use it on them.]

As he hopped into the cockpit and started them up again, the Didact came back to admonish them some more. _'Do you believe that your theatrics can prevent my departure? Embrace your sad fate, and retain your nobility – I am already beyond you.'_

'He knows what we're trying to do,' said the AI worriedly, 'If we get too close to that Cryptum, we're dead.' She scrambled for another option. 'I-I have an idea. Head for that waypoint.' As the Spartan accelerated in the direction that she indicated, she continued, 'Those defense spires we keep running into are being controlled from this tower. Get me to the control room, and we can reposition them to block the Didact's ship from leaving.'

There were no Phantoms guarding the spire. The landing platform extended without prompting, and he set down. The entryway led to a one-way gravity lift, which the Spartan boarded without hesitation. It carried them up to an inner chamber even larger than the last. As they advanced, some of the hard light connectors unfolded and fell away. _'You will relent, abomination, or you will perish,'_ said the Forerunner, altering more of the tower as the Spartan hurried on, ' _All in life is choice, and your day to choose… has come.'_

[I'm pretty sure deer didn't choose to be hunted for food, fucking asshole.]

John worked his way across the hard light platforms, mindful of the sheer drops on all sides. [The ecumene laughs at your OSHA compliance and building safety regulations.] Cortana snorted, then sounded the alarm when a gravity lift just out of view activated and dropped off a pair of Hunters. [Perfect timing.] The Chief finished off the last of the Unggoy, then hefted his Incineration Cannon. [We'll need to get closer to get a good look, through it'd probably be safer to fire from about this distance.]

'Since when have we done anything safe?'

[Exactly.]

The first shot killed one of the Hunters and broke it apart into the golden flakes of light á la the Promethean Knights. Unfortunately, the other Hunter had been too close to the detonation. The charge hadn't killed it like the other, but it had knocked it off the edge of the platform. John peered over the edge to watch it flail through the air as it plunged into the abyss below. [That's one way to save ammo, I suppose.] He swept the area for anything useful before riding the second gravity lift up.

This one spat him out in another chamber about the same size as the one below it. The difference was that there were Banshees flying around in this one. The good news was that there were extras sitting unmanned on the platforms nearby; he only had to kill a single Sangheili in order to hijack one.

The aerial battle was a pain. There were Shade turrets everywhere, and infantry that kept firing on him whenever he even toed the edge of their weapons' range. The Chief chose to focus on the turrets as the greatest threat, but also the easiest to eliminate. They had large amounts of firepower, but the Shades were stationary. It was a simple enough matter to strafe them with fuel rod charges until they exploded, taking any other soldiers in the immediate vicinity with them. Then he turned on the Banshees. They were a bit more trouble, but his "anticipation" helped him target them despite their sharp turns and acceleration.

John only worried about the infantry closest to the nav point here he wanted to go – the rest were inconsequential. A few quick strafing runs took care of the largest threats and sent the rest running for cover. Fortunately, he was fast enough to set the Banshee down and make a break for the control center before the remaining Covenant realized what happened.

'Quick, let me at the Spire controls!'

The Spartan carefully filtered the AI back into her chip, then inserted her into the control panel. "Tapping into the spire's central net," she said, clearly doing something. He could sense her moving in the system. "They're mine…" The spires began moving to surround the Cryptum, physically blocking it from launching. "Now to – _I-I-IMPRISON THEM_?"

Rampant episode. John jumped into the system, but there was no way to get her immediately under control without hurting her.

" _LIKE HE IMPRISONED HIS PROMETHEANS?! LIKE DOCTOR HALSEY IMPRISONED ME?!"_

The spires jerked, spun, and fell away, out of control, Cortana thrashing in agony in the system. He got a hold of her, and forced a viral suppression code into her matrices, initiating a temporary halt to all processing while he pulled her from the console. Only when she was safely ensconced in his flesh once more did he allow her to resume normal function. [I'm sorry,] he said sincerely, the platform they were on beginning to descend to a lower balcony, [I'm so sorry.]

'No… No… I'm… You do what you have to – don't worry about me.' Despite her words, Cortana was badly shaken, so much so that she hardly noticed when he flung himself off the spire, aiming for the Liches flying below. The Spartan streamlined his body, using his arms like fins to steer his fall toward the Liches. When they got close enough, he flipped and fired his jetpack to slow his fall, landing on the back with a thump. But his momentum was too great, the Liches plating too smooth and curved, and he began sliding off of the vehicle.

He unsheathed his combat knife and shoved it hilt-deep in the Lich's armor to arrest his fall. The Spartan heaved himself up on top of the Covenant vehicle, then looked up when he sensed something coming down from above.

The Didact's Cryptum blasted down past them, the _Mantle's Approach_ ascending to meet him. Its major segments loosened enough to admit the Cryptum, then latched back together. The ship continued its ascent through Requiem's portal Requiem's portal and out into the open space beyond, surrounded by flocks of Liches.

'They're jumping into Slipspace!' said Cortana when the familiar Forerunner portal was opened by the _Approach_ , 'Get below deck!'

[No time.] John fired his jetpack again to boost them forward and tuck them up under an armored overhang inside the Lich's shields. It was going to be one hell of a ride.


	10. Seven: Composer

The _Mantle's Approach_ dropped out of Slipspace in an asteroid belt above a broken world, with magma boiling up through cracks in what remained of the crust. H 671 c "Quiescent" was so different from what he remembered that he almost didn't recognize it, but there was only one place that the Didact would go before he hit Erde-Tyrene – hit Earth.

[Cortana?]

'Still here,' the AI answered. She sounded tired.

He stood up, wobbling a little as his legs got used to carrying his weight again. [Installation Zero-Three,] he said, looking up at the curve of the ring, [where the Composer is stored. Why are we bypassing it?]

'Because the Composer's not _on_ the ring anymore.'

There was a UNSC base on one of the largest asteroids, and the Didact and the Storm Covenant were heading straight for it. 'What are you waiting for?' she asked, 'That station's not going to save itself.'

John slipped down from his position and entered the Lich through the force field airlock. He killed every last alien inside, then moved to the control panel at the fore of the ship. [You got this?]

'I-I think so. But stay with me, just in case.'

The Chief slotted her into the console, monitoring her closely as she opened up communications with the outpost. "This is UNSC Master Chief to base. Do you read?"

" _Yes! I hear you!"_ a panicked female voice came over the COM, _"This is Sand Tillson of_ Ivanoff Station _! We're under attack!"_

"They're after a Forerunner artifact that you took from Installation Zero-Three."

" _How do you know about that?!"_

"Doctor," the Spartan said firmly, "I need you to protect that artifact until we arrive. Send whatever-" He sensed the beginning of a rampant episode and forcibly aborted it, suppressing the personality spike responsible. Cortana was afraid, but grateful for his help in maintaining control. "Send whatever troops you have to defend it. We'll be docking with the station momentarily."

" _Okay,"_ Tillson replied, _"okay, I'll do it."_ The COM snapped off.

'I'm sorry – I just… can't stop them!' the AI whimpered as she docked the Lich with the station, 'It's like a thousand of me arguing all at once!'

[I know. It's okay, we can handle it.] "Doctor Tillson, are you there?"

" _Yes, I'm still here! The soldiers are on their way!"_

"Good. You need to issue the order for all civilians to evacuate the station." He sprinted across the landing bay, the doors opening at his approach. A security guard wielding a sticky detonator was killed by a number of Needler rounds, but the Kig Yar who killed him joined him in death when one of the sticky rounds exploded close to them.

" _We've been trying!"_ the scientist told the Spartan, _"The Covenant – they've already taken over the landing bays!"_

"Send me your coordinates," the Chief ordered, "I'll see what I can do about clearing an evac route on my way to you."

The hallway let him out into a hangar. He saw a Jackal in the air and fired reflexively, killing it and saving the guard who was its intended target. The guard stayed back to protect two scientists while the Spartan advanced through the bay, gunning down a veritable multitude of Covenant. Yet no matter how many he killed, Phantoms swooped in to the hangar to drop off still more of the aliens. [What can we do to keep the Covenant out?] he asked over the gunfire.

'The Harbormaster controls can erect a barricade over the bay,' the AI reported, 'but we'll have to locate them.'

John did a quick scan of the nearby systems and located the panel on the opposite side of the bay, beyond a line of Grunts and Jackals. He threw two grenades into their midst, killing half their number and throwing the survivors into disarray long enough for him to sprint past them. He made it to the control panel, and raised the barricade before turning back to fire on the aliens.

With bullets coming at them from two different directions, it was inevitable that the aliens would turn their backs to someone who could kill them. And someone did, whether it was the Marines native to the station or the Chief supporting them. A side hatch slid open to disgorge more enemy troops into the hangar, but the Chief detected them beforehand and reacted in time to stop them from getting too far. He ducked past their corpses to aid a group of security personnel under fire from a plasma turret.

Two quick successive shots took the Grunt's legs out from under it, making it slam its face against the gun as it fell. A Field Marshal Sangheili shot it between the eyes before taking over its position at the controls. John was already firing on it, unloading round after round into its shields. The Elite fell before it even got off a return shot. The other Sangheili met the same fate, closely followed by the Kig Yar and Unggoy.

The Spartan moved forward into a wide stairwell, where additional guards were firing up at a handful of Grunts descending the stairs. He joined them, and they began to push up the stairwell. As they moved up, an orange scan wave passed through the station. 'Didact doesn't know where the Composer is!' Cortana managed, her voice shaky even inside his mind, 'Just that it's on the station.'

[The second I get a moment, I'm going to give you a boost.] He was supporting many of her subroutines, even running them for her, but the degradation was still happening, worsening every time she left his flesh. With all the chaos they were handling, he had no time to fix her failing processes, isolate and rewrite cascading errors in her coding.

'I'll be okay for now. Let's just get this done.'

He fought his way up the second flight of stairs it the uppermost deck in the bay. More ONI security agents were there, engaging a Field Marshal Sangheili and his support troops. John drew his sticky detonator and fired at the Elite, pulling the trigger again to detonate the charge. The alien exploded in a shower of indigo-violet blood and guts, along with a Grunt who got too close. The other Sangheili went the way of the first. John briefly grieved the fact that he was in his MJOLNIR armor and surrounded by UNSC personnel; it meant he couldn't infect the Storm Covenant, take their bodies for his own and make an army to fight the Didact on equal footing.

John continued heading through the halls to Tillson's lab. Just as he was getting closer to the objective point, he stumbled across a panicked scientist. "Help us!" she begged, "A pair of Hunters forced their way in! Take this. It's calibrated for heavy armor." It was a thruster pack, not quite as useful as a jetpack but better suited to the low ceilings of the base. It would aid him in evading dangerous fire he couldn't naturally dodge in time.

The Spartan entered the lab, already lifting his sticky detonator to lock onto one of the Hunters, following the phantom projection of his "anticipation." Two of the projectiles were sufficient to kill the first of the Mgalekgolo. He turned to the second even as it turned to him, its fuel rod gun charging. John was about to dodge out of the way when he realized that there were two civilian scientists huddled against the wall behind him. If he moved, they would be killed.

He gritted his teeth just for a moment, then loosened his jaw, ducked his head, and crossed his arms in front of his head to take most of the force and prevent him from getting a concussion from a fuel rod charge to the face. The impact dropped his shields to zero instantly and sent him skidding backwards a few meters. He dropped to one knee and planted a hand against the deck to maintain his balance as he returned fire, his vision unfocused and senses in disarray.

But his "motion tracker" sense – and by extension, his aim – held true. The Hunter fell, leaving the lab clear of enemies. John sank to all fours, panting and sweating from the heat of the fuel rod charge, his shields screaming in his ears. When his limbs stopped shaking, he got to his feet, staggering a little. One of the scientists he had just saved approached him, carrying a large canteen of water, and offered it to him. "Thank you," she said, and held his helmet while he chugged the entire contents. He felt Cortana's fascination with the sensation and taste, and took a step back to allow her a few pulls.

Then they nodded their thanks to the scientist, pulling their helmet back on. 'Tillson's behind the door over there,' the AI said, throwing up a nav point over the door controls. He hit the switch, and the barrier slid open to allow him inside.

Sandra Tillson was waiting almost immediately inside the doors, and greeted him nervously. "I desperately hope you know why all this is happening," she said, leading him further into the room, "because, to be honest, my objectivity isn't doing me a whole lot of good right now. Hold on, I'll start us down."

John waited until they were moving, then said, "The device you recovered is a Forerunner weapon. They commander of that ship wants it back."

The scientist paused and turned back to him. "'Wants it back?'" she repeated, "You don't think you can remo – it can't leave the station, you know that, right?"

"We don't have any choice, Doctor."

Tillson shook her head. "It's not a matter of choice," she said, "It took _three months_ , and the biggest starship the UNSC could throw at it just to relocate it here." She waved at the Composer as it came into view. "Unless you're a _lot_ stronger than you look, it's not going _anywhere_."

She was right, but leaving it as it was, wasn't an option. The Didact could _not_ be allowed to reclaim the Composer, and with the FoS not even in the _galaxy_ (which, what the _fuck_ were they even _doing_ extra-galactic?), there was only one option left to them. "Can you give Cortana access to the station's supply manifest?"

The scientist did so, tapping a few keys on her console. "What for?"

"If we can't move the Composer," he answered, "we have to make sure the Didact can't either."

Tillson caught on fast. "We have _years_ of research invested here," she protested, but there was nothing he could do to help her. If his fleet still had the Parallel Composers, perhaps he could arrange for her and her team to do a limited study of one of them if they survived.

"Inventory lists seven excavation-grade HAVOK mines," said Cortana, "Just _one_ of those would turn this base into a piñata."

The scientist looked at him, pleading wordlessly.

"I'm sorry, Doctor," he said gently, "but with the kind of damage the Composer can do and the scale of it, we can't afford to let it fall into enemy hands, the same way the UNSC couldn't let the coordinates for Earth fall into the hands of the Covenant during the war.

"Keep routing your people to the evac centers. Once we take care of the Composer, you won't have much time."

The civilian was unhappy, but she understood. "I'll… make sure the nukes are primed so you can… detonate them remotely." As he turned to go, she said, "Maybe next time you rescue us…"

The Spartan turned back to look at her.

"…you can give us more time to pack?"

"Next time," he said with a nod, and exited the research lift. The hatch on his left was nonfunctional, sparking with electricity, se he went right instead, and entered the chamber where the Composer was being kept. The Chief went straight for the device, admiring the Forerunner construction as he approached it and laid a hand on its side.

>BIOSIGNATURE RECOGNIZED: SPRM CMDR (FOS) UNSC SPARTAN JOHN-117  
>REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGED. BEGINNING DOWNLOAD…  
>ALERT! VIRAL CODE DETECTED!  
>COMMAND OVERRIDE: VERIFIED. RESUMING DOWNLOAD…  
>DOWNLOAD COMPLETE. INSTALLING…  
>INSTALLATION COMPLETE.

[That'll slow him down for a while,] John said, pulling out of the Composer's systems. As he did so, an explosion rocked the station. "Doctor, what was that?"

" _The Covenant…"_ the shocked scientist managed, _"The Covenant just shot down the first evac shuttle."_

"The station should be equipped with outer turrets. If we can reactivate them, I can program the station's defenses to provide cover for the evacuation," Cortana piped up.

" _Okay… Okay, I'll send you the coordinates."_

Once she had them, Cortana set up an objective point to direct him. Inside a hatch, a security guard was sitting down, taking a breather from a fight. As the Spartan approached, the guard got up and keyed the control panel for another door, opening it for the Spartan. "Officer, seal the door behind me."

"Yes, sir."

John moved through and up a catwalk to the hallway above. As he did so, another scan passed through the station. The Didact's mind pressed in again. _'You impress me, Abomination. Your singular valor will be preserved and studied, once your Composition is complete.'_

[How about no.] The hybrid intended to reach out and strike at the Forerunner, but the station shook under him, the power flickering out, forcing him to refocus on his immediate surroundings. There were two aliens nearby, a Grunt and a Jackal, that he quickly took out. The hatch behind them sealed itself between the Spartan and his next targets, a pair of Jackals further down the hall. There was a service tunnel close by, and he ducked into it to bypass the lockdown.

The hall opened up into an airlock loading zone filled with Covenant. He threw a plasma grenade and stuck the Sangheili before it could fire on him. The alien screamed and died, along with two Grunts that were too close. The rest of them were just Grunts and Jackals, no Elites – until they started coming in through the airlocks. John used his "anticipation" to track their movements and kill them quickly so he could move on.

The Chief ducked through another hatch, sprinted down a catwalk, and into another hallway, where a group of scientists were pinned down by the Covenant. The Sangheili leading them had its back turned to him, letting him dart in and climb up its back to knife its neck. The corpse fell as he pulled his blade free and went for the Kig Yar, yanking the alien around and plunging the blade down through its skull. A single shot between the eyes took care of the Unggoy.

The Spartan ducked into the chamber to talk to people inside. "They ran!" one scientist cried, crying and holding a Magnum with shaking hands, "The security team assigned to us, the second the Covenant showed up! How could they do that?!"

One of the other scientists keyed open another hatch, letting him into a side chamber as the other spoke. "Find Doctor Tillson," the Spartan told them, accepting the autosentry he was handed, "She'll direct you to the evacuation area."

The sole remaining guard and his civilian charges did as instructed and headed back the way the Chief had come. The Spartan himself continued on, moving through the main hall and up a catwalk into another airlock loading zone. Like its predecessor, it was also filled with aliens, with more coming in through the airlocks themselves. John launched a grenade into a tight knot of them, and fired at the first group coming out of the airlock. A number of aliens screamed and died in the satisfying explosion, leaving John free to focus on the newcomers.

There were a couple of Jackals overhead, sniping at him with carbines from maintenance platforms. He slipped up a maintenance ramp and shot them, then rained fire on the Covenant below as the rest of them came in through the airlocks. 'Only a few more left,' Cortana murmured, marking them on his HUD. Once they were dead, the lockup was lifted, and he moved on to the next hall.

As he did so, another scan passed through the station. 'Maybe the Great and Powerful Didact shouldn't misplace his things!' the AI hissed.

The hatch in front of them slid open. The Chief sensed the Spec Ops Elites before he saw the distortion of their active camouflage. That explained why he couldn't remotely activate the defense systems – they were being manually overridden. He fired at the alien at the console first. It roared and turned to return fire just in time to catch a sticky grenade to the face. The Spartan was already firing on the second alien, who was charging him with a plasma sword. He ducked the first swipe, punched the Sangheili in the face hard enough to bring down its shields, and damn near crushed the alien's wrist keeping the sword away while he unloaded an entire clip into its chest cavity.

As he moved toward the console, Cortana slipped back into his armor, preparing for insertion. Unfortunately, that also meant that her personality spikes were back in full force. "My intervention is the prerequisite for success!" one cried, before another hissed, _"Why should we save them?"_

John slotted her in, calling for Tillson over the COM. _"I'm here,"_ the scientist answered, _"Any luck?"_

"Cortana's bringing the defense grid online now," he informed her.

" _I hear it,"_ she said as the guns began firing, _"We'll broadcast the final evac orders."_

"The nuke?"

" _We're rigging it now. Meet us back on the upper platform, and we'll help you get it to the artifact."_

The COM shut off. He pulled Cortana out of the system and back into his flesh, wincing a little when the personality spikes fought him. But he was a full-fledged Gravemind in human form – they couldn't do any real damage to him. 'Chief?' Cortana whispered, 'If we – pull this off, and actually get back to Halsey? Don't tell her how bad I got. Please?'

[I won't say anything,] John promised, and headed out through the hatch opposite the one he'd entered.

As usual, there were Covenant in his way. He fought his way through the halls and passageways, finally reaching an observation deck overlooking the Composer. There were no still living humans in the chamber. Instead, multiple Phantoms swooped overhead, while aliens below cheered and worshipped the device. 'Keep them away from it!' Cortana cried, 'Stop them, Chief! You can't let them tell him it's here!'

The Spartan headed out into the main chamber and sprinted for the nearest Mantis. "Doctor Tillson, the Composer's location's compromised," he said, climbing the back of the machine, "You've got to get that nuke down here!"

" _I-It's not ready yet!"_

"Ready or not, I need it _now_." He felt bad for snapping at her, but he had no time to cater to civilian sensibilities. The Chief narrowed his focus from tracking movement and transmissions through the entire station down to the chamber with the Composer, and spread his mind out into the Mantis and a number of automated defenses in the room. Wave after wave of Covenant soldiers slammed into him, trying to overwhelm his defenses with infantry and vehicles alike. Grunts with fuel rod guns, Jackals with carbines, Elite with Ghosts, Wraiths, and Banshees all bore down on him, but to no avail.

"Doctor Tillson!" John called as he shot down a fleeing Phantom, "Where's the warhead? Doctor Tillson!"

'Head back to the elevator platform,' said Cortana, 'I'll keep trying to raise her.' She sounded anxious, with a faint edge of hysteria.

He guided the Mantis over to the platform and hopped out, sprinting for the hatch. When he entered the lift, the AI said, 'The HAVOK mines'll be in one of the cargo bays. Start us up.' He tapped a few keys on the console. The elevator groaned and began its ascent. As the Composer came into view, John sensed _something_ that made every hair on his body stand on end. He threw himself backward as Cortana cried, 'Chief! Immense Casimir wave building outside the atrium!'

The roof of the cavern was ripped off with the shrieking grind of rending metal. One of the cranes nearby was torn free of its mount and smashed into the lift, throwing them to the floor. The Chief covered his head to protect them from the debris shrapnel, his hands automatically covering the slot where Cortana's chip inserted into his helmet.

The crane fell away with another jolt. John pushed himself up to see what was happening, right before a brilliant orange tractor beam ripped open what was left of the base. The Composer eased free of its moorings and was lifted out of sight. [Cortana, see if you can raise Tillson. Get me a status on the rest of the station.] He himself moved to the damaged console, trying to get the lift restarted.

'Tillson, Sandra K,' Cortana said dreamily, struggling to process even with his help, 'Female, 51 years of age. Doctor of Archaeology, Pegasi Institute-' Her voice turned strained. 'Got her! Biosignature stable on 350-level, B-deck.'

[Thank you, Cortana.]

The elevator resumed moving, then stopped. John hit the manual release for the doors, and sprinted through the halls until he spotted Tillson in the milieu. "The Didact's taken the Composer," he informed the scientist, moving to a nearby holopanel and slotting Cortana in, "Get these people to the evac centers!" To the AI, he said, "Tap the flight deck. Find us something that can carry a payload."

John didn't hear the scientist demanding to know how the Composer had been taken. He was entirely focused on aiding Cortana's processing and observing the _Mantle's Approach_ drawing closer to the station. The Composer was beginning to charge.

[Three… two…one…]

Without warning, the Forerunner ship shut down. The Spartan didn't need to be present to hear the Didact's cry of rage as the viral insert did its work, wresting control of the ship from the Promethean. It wouldn't hold for long, but with any luck, it would hold just long enough. He allowed himself a small vindictive grin, then squirmed into the systems to join Cortana. [Focus on finishing prepping the nuke and getting us a ship. I'll handle the defenses.]

The mini-MACs set up around the station perked up as one, and swung around to aim at the _Mantle's Approach_. Only a handful of them had a direct shot on the Composer, not nearly enough to destroy it, but a larger number of the turrets had a line on a section of the ship where the plating was thinner. The rounds punched through the hull and destroyed some internal components, silent explosions flashing out in space. John managed only three more volleys before the _Approach_ came back online, but it seemed that was enough to convince the Didact that it wasn't worth the effort to try to take the station while he was there. The damaged ship began creeping away, slowly, painfully. It seemed he damaged some of the propulsion controls.

"Let's go. There's a Broadsword waiting for us in Hangar C-11," said Cortana aloud, purely for the benefit of the scientists around them, "If we hurry, we can catch him."

On the way down to the hangar, John cleared out what was left of the Covenant forces, but more often he saw weary guards and scientists, carrying injured or dead friends and comrades on makeshift stretchers. Their grief permeated the air. 'These people are gone,' Cortana whispered, wanting to stop and help but also knowing that wasn't an option.

[And more will follow if the Didact reaches Earth.] Because that was undoubtedly where he was headed.

The hybrid could sense the train of the AI's thought. She felt that she hadn't done enough to support the Spartan and help the station, which led to – 'They'll pair you with another AI,' she whispered, 'Maybe another "Cortana" model if Halsey lets them.'

[That's _not_ going to happen.] His voice was just as quiet as her own, but firm and resolute.

'It won't be _me_ ,' she whimpered, despairing, 'You know that, right?'

[Cortana.] When he had her full attention, he continued, [It's not over. Not yet.]

'Not yet,' she repeated.


	11. Eight: Midnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The entire story has been updated and fully spell- and grammar-checked for your reading pleasure!

An automated conveyor moved the Broadsword along under the watchful eyes of the station's surviving crew. It stopped over a hatch, which opened up, allowing an antigravity generator to lift the HAVOK nuke into place. The Broadsword latched it in, and then the conveyor released the fighter. The thrusters fired automatically, and John turned the ship to face the asteroid field beyond the station.

" _Good luck, Spartan,"_ said Tillson over the COM.

"You, too, Doctor," he answered, "The minute everything is settled with the Didact, we'll have HIGHCOM dispatch someone to help you."

The Broadsword blasted out of the hangar in pursuit of the _Mantle's Approach_ , which was moving toward the edge of the system at a snail's pace, only slowly picking up speed as its automated systems enacted repairs. Despite the difference in power, they closed quickly with the Forerunner ship. 'Approaching the Didact's ship in 200 kilometers,' said Cortana, much improved from earlier, 'Once we get onboard, we'll find the bridge.'

A Slipspace portal irised open in front of the _Approach._

[He's on the move again.]

'The fighter's shield's aren't rated for Slipspace!'

[No, but the Didact's are.] John flipped on the afterburners and closed the distance faster, cruising in below the ship's shield level right before they came online. The _Approach_ moved into Slipspace, the world beyond its shields dissolving into streaks of light. The Broadsword shook violently, but stayed intact.

'Broadsword's hull integrity is stable,' Cortana informed him, monitoring its systems closely, 'We'll be safe as long as we stay below the Didact's shields.

John flew the fighter through a short stretch of trench before the Didact sensed him and spoke. _'Your antics matter not, Abomination. The Composer is mine one more, and once your Earth is, as well, that rabble you managed to save will follow.'_

'Locking on to his transmission… He's at the Composer. We can take them both out at once.'

John accelerated, evading a series of thick panels trying to block their passage through a narrow tunnel, then pulled back, trying to conserve fuel. Ahead, there was an energy barrier blocking the trench; the Spartan launched a few of the fighter's missiles at it, and it broke apart in a shimmer of energy, the narrow gap opening up.

The Didact continued manipulating the terrain around them, forcing the hybrid to do a number of creative maneuvers, before Cortana said, 'Cherenkov Radiation fluctuating! We're coming out of Slipspace.'

The streaks of light faded out, revealing Earth beyond the ship. _"At current velocity, hostile will achieve Earth orbit in approximately 4 minutes,"_ FLEETCOM reported over an open channel.

" _Roger,"_ a female voice answered, _"Battlegroup Dakota, close on the Forerunner vessel."_

' _Infinity_ must have warned them!'

John nodded. "Sierra-117 to UNSC _Infinity_ ," he said over the COM, continuing his maneuvers, "Captain Del Rio, do you read?"

" _Chief, it's Lasky. Is that you?"_ The man sounded shocked.

[No, it's God.] "Affirmative, sir. Where's the captain?"

" _FLEETCOM didn't take to kindly to his abandoning you on Requiem. I'm afraid I'll have to do."_

' _SUCK IT!'_ Cortana yelled mentally, making the Spartan grin as she danced around a little. He accelerated through a pair of closing blast doors.

"The Didact's got the Composer," said the Spartan, "We're in a Broadsword carrying a HAVOK-grade payload, on approach to deliver it." The fighter soared into a tight tunnel filled with spires. He flew them through, then boosted again to evade more closing doors.

" _Let's see if we can grease the wheels for you. All ships, prepare to engage!"_

John continued with his trench run, evading changing walls and vessels carrying supplies to other parts of the ship. Then they were in another tunnel, more open, but also with more anti-air turrets, whose fire he had been evading for the entire flight. The Spartan began evasive action.

" _Chief, the Battlegroup's moving forward to engage, but at the rate the Didact's ship is advancing, he'll reach the wire in T-minus 2 minutes,"_ Lasky informed them.

"Commander, direct all ships to the Composer."

" _Copy that, Chief."_

" _Orbital Defense Command, this is FLEETCOM. Hostile inbound. Proceed to Condition Red."_

" _This is Earth Orbital Defense! MAC defense ineffective against enemy vessel. It's still approaching!"_

There was a triple layer of laser gates ahead, used primarily in brigs as jail bars, but here they served to restrict flight. John's "anticipation" let him lead their movements and fly right through, unaffected.

"Infinity _to FLEETCOM!"_ Lasky called, _"Battlegroup has reached Didact's ship!"_

" _Captain Lasky, you are clear to engage!"_

[Ooh, _Captain_ now…]

The Chief cleared a chain of energy barriers, then accelerated through a tunnel that grew steadily smaller. The fighter escaped before it irised shut completely, emerging out into a bowl-shaped firing center. Massive panels were already closing off the way to the interior of the ship.

" _Infinity_ , the Didact just closed off our entrance to the Composer," John called, pulling the Broadsword around to circle the interior of the firing center.

" _We could try punching a hole in that hull plating_ ," Lasky offered, _"but_ Infinity _won't be able to get a clear shot with all that flak."_

"We'll take care of the guns." The Spartan fired on the beacon at the center of the arena, destroying the central pylon and removing the barriers protecting the AA cannons' power cores. He flew a wide circle to get a good angle, then blasted the first power core apart.

" _Whatever you're doing's working!"_ Lasky said needlessly, _"Clear up the approach, and_ Infinity _can drop in and punch a hole for you!"_

Two more guns went down. "Only one gun left," Cortana told the new captain.

" _Copy that, Cortana,"_ Lasky responded, _"Weapons, prepare firing solution! We promised to get the Chief inside that ship, and I'm not about to let that man down!"_

The last gun went the way of its predecessors, vanishing in a golden flare of dissolving hard light. "That's the last one," John said, piloting the Broadsword up and out of the firing center, " _Infinity_ , you're clear."

" _Roger that, Chief,"_ said the captain. The ship moved into position. John could feel its systems, its _:presence:_ inside his range, alien enough to be Forerunner yet familiar enough to be human. _"You might want to back up a little. Main battery, fire!"_

The ship's forward lasers blasted a hole in the plating protecting the _Approach_ 's core, debris being ejected into space in a plume of flame. "Clean hit," the Spartan reported, having a better angle on the fiery hole, "We're proceeding to insertion." He guided the Broadsword up in a smooth arc, and angle down into the gap.

" _Acknowledged. We'll be on station if you need us. Make sure to give the Didact our regards."_

It was a tight fit inside the passage the _Infinity_ had opened up. The _Approach_ was already reconfiguring to seal off the hole, forcing the Chief to execute a series of tight rolls to avoid slamming into the panels. Cortana clung tight to him as the passage continued to narrow further. He temporarily shifted his bones to mimic silicone to minimize damage as the Broadsword smashed through the smallest gap _ever_ and slid to a stop in a solid hall. John popped the hatch and hopped out of the destroyed fighter.

'Now what do we do?'

John turned back, and pulled the warhead free of the missile before letting it attach to the magnetic panels on his back plates. [Plan B.] He moved forward into a series of halls that "T'd" with one another, with the crosspiece of one "T" forming the main branch of the next.

Distortion from Cortana filtered through to his HUD. Her fear was causing her to unravel even inside him. 'Chief, I know I'm supposed to know what to do, but…'

[We'll have to deploy the warhead manually,] John said firmly, lifting his gun to fire on the Prometheans crawling out of the figurative woodwork, [Scan for the Composer.]

'I always know what to do – _I_ _always_ _know what to do…!_ '

[Cortana!] He mentally grabbed her shoulders. The moment all nearby Prometheans were dead, the Spartan put her in control. [Breathe in slowly and then hold.] She did so. [Now… breathe out.] She let the air out of their lungs in one long, slow exhale. [Again.] He continued having her breathe until he was sure that she was under control again. [Now, we need to get the warhead to the Composer. I need you to scan for it, so I can focus on getting us there.]

'Okay… okay.'

John kept moving through the halls and dropped down a small gravity lift. As he fell, a few rampant spikes pushed free, whispering, "I won't leave you, I promise! _I'll always take care of you."_

'Still good for something, I guess,' said the AI, 'I detected an energy signature up ahead – I think it's a transit system like on Requiem. Find a way to access it.'

The Spartan trusted her judgment. He moved up a short ramp, a set of doors opening before him, and out into a large chamber. Intraship supply vessels flew up and down and all around, moving parts and raw materials to places where hard light would not suffice.

There was a plinth on the platform. 'I'll try to route us to the Composer,' said Cortana, sounding almost resigned, 'Put me in the system.'

John approached the plinth and slotted her in. Her avatar appeared for an instant before compressing down into a sphere of fraying code that flickered red and blue. _'Is this the secret you kept from me?'_ the Didact projected, _'This… evolved ancilla? Your bride?'_

"Didact knows I'm in the system – hurry, go!"

A portal opened up nearby, and he lunged through it. It dropped him at the bottom of a ramp, with a Crawler peering down at him. He shot it and moved up. Another portal formed at the other end of the short path, but there was a small army of Crawlers between him and it. As he slew them and picked up a binary rifle, the Didact said, _'I sense your malfunctioning spouse, Abomination. And yet… she eludes me.'_

John entered the portal and arrived on a routing platform with a number of other portals, and also a lot of Prometheans. _"Ca-aa-n't fight… Didact… and… myself… si-mul-ta-neously,"_ Cortana managed, her voice staticky, _"Opening another portal…"_

The hybrid slipped into the system. [Here.] He generated a loose web of coding that would redirect any of the Didact's attempts to grab her directly. [Stay safe. It's almost over.]

'You, too.'

His body had been fighting on autopilot, mowing through the Knights and shooting down their Watchers. When he returned, all that there was left to do was pick up ammo and switch out weapons before entering the portal. It dropped in some kind of weapons chamber.

" _I'm sorry,"_ Cortana said over the COM, over whispers in the background, _"I can't control what my processes are doing. The stronger threads keep reprioritizing themselves over me. I'll try to move you to the Composer again."_

The Spartan stocked up on more ammunition, then moved through the vortex. It dropped him at another routing center, populated by more Prometheans. One was close by, with its back turned to him; he sprinted to it and killed it from behind with his knife, the golden flakes swirling around him as he turned to fire on the others. _"Portal open, far side of the room!"_ Cortana called, audibly strained. He reached out to help her, but she pushed him away. _"Didact comes first!"_

He passed through the vortex and arrived in an L-shaped chamber. "Where are you?" the Chief demanded, lifting his suppressor to fire on the Knight and Crawlers blocking his path.

" _Didact's cloaking the Composer from me!"_

"Do you need me?"

" _Yes! If you could just redirect him, even for a moment-"_

"I'm on it." He left his body on autopilot and joined her in the _Approach_ 's systems. A number of security ancilla were harrying Cortana, despite the defense he'd given her. He could "see" them as Sentinel Majors zapping her with their beams. The Spartan moved to "shoot" them down, spinning up a few variations of his own to actively protect her as she raced through the system. He may have been a Gravemind, and technology may have seemed fast to outsiders, but within even Forerunner systems, he was bulky and slow, more so than even the worst of AI. John simply wasn't able to keep up with Cortana, so he returned to his flesh.

" _I'm taking control of the local defense turrets,"_ Cortana told him, spawning the devices. They began firing on the Crawlers that were coming in waves from both branches of the hall. The Spartan destroyed another score of them before he sensed Cortana moving back into the local systems. "I've got it! I've locked him out of the system, but I don't know for how long!"

The hybrid retrieved her and raced down the long branch to the portal at the end. Turrets lining the bridge distracted the Crawlers long enough for him to pass through the vortex. It dropped them in a short hall. The blast doors at the end slid open, revealing a gravity lift that carried them up several stories and let them out onto a ramp with a conveyor lift at the end. The "man cannon," as it was colloquially known, launched them through four ring-shaped momentum amplifiers and out toward the Composer.

His HUD began distorting. 'Chief, once that warhead is primed, the window for getting out of here is going to be pretty slim.' As she spoke, the massive panels overhead that protected the Composer began retracting, the centerpiece disappearing in the golden flare of hard light.

[I know.]

The amplifiers around the Composer began latching together. _'And so, you come at last…'_ the Didact rumbled.

'Significant Slipspace event building under the Composer!'

[He's powering it up.]

They landed on a ramp that took them through another small armory. John grabbed a binary rifle again, thinking that maybe he could use it to kill the Didact from afar, but once they moved through another set of doors, he saw that that wasn't an option. The Promethean was inside a barrier, along with the Composer. The shield generators were on either side of him, perpendicular to the Spartan.

'The nuke won't do us any good unless we can disable that barrier. Find me a terminal.'

As if summoned, a plinth emerged from the floor. The Chief slotted her in. "I have to do something you're not going to like," she said, right before she cried out in pain, her avatar distorting and splitting.

John yanked her as quick as he dared. [What did you just do?] he demanded, heading for one of the man cannons she marked with an objective point.

'I ejected my rampant personality spikes into the system,' she panted, 'If I do that at each of those beams, the copies – can overwhelm the Composer's shielding.'

The copies would keep replicating, John realized, and suck up so much memory that the generators wouldn't be able to process. Their systems would crash, and they would shut down.

There was a horde of Crawlers between him and the next console. It was times like these that he wished he could take control of the little buggers without needing contact with the Composer. It would be so much more efficient if he could get them to kill each other and let him pass.

John fought his way to the console. When the last Crawler broke apart, it rose up, and he slotted her in. Her cry of pain was agonizing for him to hear – it went against everything in him to let her hurt herself like that. As he returned her to his armor, the shield beam flickered blue and faded out. 'That's it! It's working!' John went across another gap in another man cannon, simply sprinted past all the Prometheans after setting up his autosentry, and crossed another drop.

' _You humans sought the Didact,'_ the Promethean commander growled, _'You will have him.'_

'Chief, his ship's in range! Once we get the barrier down, you need to get the nuke in there fast!'

The Spartan picked up his pace, focusing his fire on the Knights and leaving the Crawlers to the autosentry. One by one, the Knights fell, no matter how many portaled in, they were insufficient to the task of challenging the Spartan. He inserted her chip and watched, tense as a wire, as she split herself again, then turned to see the barrier vanish.

"And yet," said the Didact, "still you fail."

The Composer hummed, whined, and fired. The orange beam impacted somewhere in the North American southwest. John briefly touched the warhead to make sure it was still there, then reached for the AI.

Something hit the console, and it knocked him backwards, slamming him to the ground and draining his shields to nothing in an instant. But that was only a peripheral concern – what consumed his attention was the way the plinth dissolved in a swirl of hard light flakes. _"Cortana!?"_

There were so many copies in the system that he couldn't find the original, and with the Composer firing there wasn't time to. He jumped off a ledge and raced for the man cannon that would take him back to the first platform. The copies whispered to him as he ran – _"Get to the core. Destroy it."_ – "I'll always take care of you." – "Place the bomb in the core."

As he blasted two Knights to oblivion, the original pushed through for just long enough to say, _"Prime the nuke… sa-a-a-ave them! Destroy the Composer!"_ before she was gone again, too fast for him to grab hold of. His objective notice changed to a message from her: _It's all right. But you must hurry…_

A gravity lift activated, and carried him up to a light bridge leading to the Composer. The Didact was no longer in the energy stream, and the Spartan couldn't sense him because of the overwhelming radiation from the Composer and the continuing chatter from the Cortanas.

" _You persist too long after your own defeat."_

The sending didn't seem to come from any particular direction. Neither could the Chief sense movement anywhere nearby. Reluctant as he was to do it where the UNSC could find out, he didn't seem to have a choice. The hybrid triggered a tiny Change, fell it prickle outward from his core and crawl under his skin-

" _Come then, Warrior. Have your resolution."_

- **behind –**

John turned, managed to get off a shot before he was smacked away. His suppressor flew over the edge of the bridge, spinning down into the void below. The nuke stayed on the bridge, thank the goddesses, but as he lunged for it, the Didact bound him in the constraint field and lifted him away from the warhead.

The Promethean's helm plates retracted. "So misguided," he hummed, levitating the infected Spartan out over the void, "Humanity's imprisonment is a _kindness_." He clenched his fist, and the constraint field tightened. John writhed in his grip, lashed out with his mind. The Didact parried – barely. The Chief was about to strike again, but their attention was caught by the flickering of the light bridge.

Multiple copies of Cortana were emerging from the bridge, surrounding the Didact in a ring of furious, solid AIs. "In that case," they said, "you won't mind if we return the favor."

"Your compassion for mankind is misplaced-" the Forerunner began, but they cut him off.

"I'm not doing this for _mankind!_ " And then they lunged, sinking into his armor and causing it to spark and malfunction, forming tendrils of hard light that shackled him to the bridge. John caught its edge as he fell after being released, panting from the strain. The Change was still active – it rapidly healed his injuries and brought strength back to his limbs. He heaved himself back up onto the bridge.

The Didact was still fighting with Cortana and her copies, trying to wrest himself free of their control. The Spartan couldn't give him time to do so. He got his feet under him, groped for a grenade-

-and came up empty.

He took a deep breath, then charged the Promethean, throwing all his weight behind tackling the much-larger Forerunner off the bridge. Their bodies collided, the Spartan's momentum great enough to send them both over the edge.

" _JOHN!"_

Lucky in the extreme, the hybrid managed to twist, push off the Didact, and grab the edge of the light bridge. Gravity pulled at them both, the Spartan safely latched onto the bridge-

Agony seared through his body, made him jerk and let out a cry reminiscent of a Flood roar. The Promethean had grabbed ahold of his ankle as he fell, using him as a living safety rope. John gathered himself, triggering a larger shift. Then he roared and swung his lower body up. The Didact slammed against the underside of the light bridge, the shock of the impact causing his grip to loosen enough for the Spartan to pull himself free.

The Chief held on despite his shaking arms, watching as the once-great Forerunner fell away, vanishing into the Slipspace event below the Composer. Then he pulled himself back onto the bridge once more. For a moment, he was too weak to do anything more than watch the Composer fire. At last, he rolled himself onto his stomach and crawled, inch by painful inch, to the HAVOK warhead.

He primed it, and then slammed his hand down on its casing to detonate it.

* * *

Light. White light, like a star. Falling Lucifer, flaming Icarus, the dying small payment for the ecstasy of freedom.

But then all of his aches and pains began filtering back to him – cracked and broken bones that hadn't had time to fuse, torn muscles and tendons that were slowly wiggling their way back together. Brutal testament to the ferocity of the Didact and his Prometheans. The weight of his armor settled around him once more, heavier than his standard Forerunner kit but still an easy burden to bear.

'I'm still alive.'

It made his whole body fire with agony, but he forced himself to his feet. "Cortana." He couldn't detect her anywhere. "Cortana, do you read?" Her rampancy and countless copies made her slippery and hard to lock onto – he hadn't pulled her from the _Approach_ 's systems in time…! "Cortana, come in," he begged, praying that Epheria and Xo'ar would do something, anything-

Movement at his back. A sky blue glow. He turned.

It was her. It was _her_ , his guardian and charge, his beloved brain buddy. Never before had he been so happy to see her. Never before had she looked more radiant. The blue beauty walked slowly toward him across a floor of hard light. "How…?" He let the question hang in the air, a precursor to a thousand endings. How was this possible? How had she survived? How had she generated a hard light barrier so close to a nuclear detonation and prevented him from being harmed? How were they getting home so he could keep his promise?

"Oh, _I'm_ the strangest thing you've seen all day?" She was smiling, but there was sorrow in her eyes.

"But if we're here…"

"It worked," she said, "You did it. Just like you always do."

He accepted that, then looked up at the barrier. "So how do we get out of here?" There were no visible exits.

Cortana looked down at her feet, then met his gaze once more. "I'm not coming with you this time."

_ NO _

Something of her remained, enough to flinch at the force of his projected denial. " _What?_ " 'No, no, no, not her, _anyone_ but her…'

She tilted her head toward the remains of the _Approach_. "Most of me is down there. I only held enough back to get you off the ship."

"No." This time he verbalized the thought. "That's not – we go together." It couldn't be true. It had to be a nightmare – was this Hell? Where monsters like him went?

"It's already done."

That didn't mean he had to accept it. She was speaking to him now – surely there was _something_ – "I am _not_ leaving you here."

"John…" Cortana crossed the distance between them in a single smooth stride. Her hand touched his chest plate, brought up a thousand memories of the Parallel and quiet moments stolen before the siege on the Tower. She led out a shuddering sigh. "I've waited so long to do that."

"It was my job to take care of you." 'I failed you,' went unspoken, but was heard anyway, 'I should have done more to stop your rampancy, shouldn't have let this be your only way to peace. I should have helped you directly, and damned the consequences.'

"We were supposed to take care of each other," she corrected gently, "And we did."

The Spartan looked back up at her. He could feel the stinging in his eyes. How long had it been since he had cried? He couldn't remember. "Cortana, please…"

The AI (and yet so much more than that) smiled sadly. She touched his chest plate one last time before beginning to back away.

'No, not without-' "/I love you,/" he said in Forerunner, knowing she would understand. She did, and smiled again, this time with joy mingling with sorrow.

" _Welcome home, John."_

* * *

John wasn't sure how long he drifted, mind blank, in the remains of the _Mantle's Approach_. He only became aware of his surroundings when a spotlight shone down on him, drawing him out of his near-catatonic state. He slowly turned his head to look up into the light.

"Infinity _actual? Pelican Nine-Sixer. We found him_."

The troop carrier's hold opened up, the ship slowly moving close enough for him to grab onto it and pull himself inside. The artificial gravity took hold, and he got to his feet without a word. One of the Marines on board to the rest of his remaining gear from him while two more supported him to one of the side seats. He strapped himself in, but barely felt the Pelican's acceleration as it turned toward the _Infinity_.

There were Spartan-IVs and Marines waiting in formation in the bay where the Pelican docked with the ship. They saluted him as he descended the ramp – a hero's welcome he hardly thought he deserved.

HIGHCOM was still in disarray because of the assault on Earth, so he had no orders to report anywhere. He used the opportunity to slip away, and hid on the observation deck, looking out over the green and blue planet. The _Infinity_ 's AI, Roland, had to know where he was. As for the rest of the crew, he wasn't sure if they were just giving him space or if they genuinely had somewhere else to be. Either way, he was grateful for the moment of quiet, the time to grieve.

But of course, it was too good to last. There were footsteps behind him, followed by a voice. "Mind if I join you?"

Lasky. John straightened respectfully and turned slightly to look at the officer. "Of course not, sir."

One corner of the other man's lips quirked up in sardonic amusement. "At ease, Chief," he said, walking closer, "Feels kinda odd for you to call me 'sir.'" Both of them gazed out at Earth.

John had had people close to him sacrifice themselves to defend Earth and humanity before, but never to defend _him_. He returned his attention to Lasky when he realized the man was speaking. Cortana had always been able to grab his attention right away.

"Chief," said the officer, "I won't pretend to know how you feel. I've lost people before, but…" He seemed unsure how to put it. "…never anything like what you're going through."

"Our duty," he said quietly, "as soldiers is to protect humanity, whatever the cost." It was more of an automatic response than an actual thought.

"You say that, like soldiers and humanity are two different things. Soldiers aren't machines. We're just people." John glanced at him but did not otherwise respond. "I'll let you have the deck to yourself."

As he walked away, the Spartan murmured to himself, "She said that to me once. About being a machine."


	12. Nine: Escalation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 1/8/16.

"And then she was destroyed?"

"Yes, sir."

"You're _certain?_ "

The debriefing was just as painful as he'd expected it to be. He'd been standing before the Board of Review for over two hours, having his actions intimately examined by the officers of the Board. As he'd requested, Cortana had made their conversations about the Parallel and what he'd learned there into normal battlefield chatter or simply eliminated them entirely.

John hadn't adequately prepared himself to return to the UNSC's invasive probing and oversight so soon after his fiancée's death. Fortunately, Lord Hood interceded before he could say something he'd regret. "General Strauss, I fail to see the reason to press this point."

"Cortana is one of the UNSC's most valuable assets," the other officer answered," That she was adrift in space _unprotected_ for _four years_ -"

The Chief wasn't about to let that stand. "She was _not_ unprotected." The Spartan resented the implication that she was, that he couldn't have woken in time to protect her.

"What of the Didact? Your helmet-cam footage indicates he was killed…" one of the other officers began.

"I saw him fall into a Slipspace fissure."

"But you did not see a corpse."

"No, sir, General Hogan," he replied, "The kill was not confirmed. His armor was undamaged. It's possible he could have survived."

"Well, that makes the New Phoenix story harder to sell," said Hogan.

"If it's something that could happen again, you mean," Strauss clarified.

"Yes. With no confirmed kill – well, stranger things have happened."

"Master Chief, your assessment?" Lord Hood requested.

John was silent a moment. How much could he tell them? How much _should_ he tell them?

_Ameri **can** but Ameri **shouldn't**_

"The Librarian's imprint indicates that there were originally a total of seven Composers," he said at last, "now six." He might have been infected by the Flood and operated independently for a hundred and ten thousand years, but that didn't mean he was going to leave them unprepared for another assault. "They were removed from the Didact's care after he abused their power. The one that was destroyed was the Primary Composer, but the others are capable of functioning without it. It simply had the greatest power and scale of Composition."

Two of the officers settled back in their chairs with low groans. Lord Hood rubbed a hand over his face, but General Hogan and Admiral Osman ( _former SPARTAN-019_ ) leaned forward. "So you're saying you think this could happen again?" Hogan asked.

"It's a possibility, sir. As you said, stranger things have happened."

"Does the… imprint… give the locations of the other Composers?" Osman asked, "If possible, we need to secure them." She looked calm, rational, but John could sense her desire to have even one back under ONI's control, to give them dominance over human and alien invaders alike.

"No, ma'am," the Gravemind lied, "Only that the place they're stored is called the Composer's Forge. It's where the Prometheans are made from the people who've been Composed." It was a highly-classified location, but the Librarian had entrusted it to him. He had, in turn, sent it on to his Infected and told them to secure the Composers before they even though about coming to get him.

Nep'Thalia was currently in charge, and she was not happy about it but acknowledged the order and altered their course.

"A pity," said the ONI chief.

The officers continued to debate tactics before finally dismissing him. He used the opportunity to contact the _Fleet_ once more. [Status?]

'All systems green, Commander. We're en-route to the Composer's Forge, but less than one Earth-standard hour ago, the ecumene reported an incursion on the surface.'

[The Ur-Didact?]

'Unknown, but likely. The Slipspace fissure opened up near Installation 03 to upload the people of New Phoenix into the Composer's Abyss. If he fell through and survived, it's where he would end up.' He sensed Nep'Thalia turn her attention away briefly. 'The Galactic Council has pushed through an emergency promotion for you so the Ur-Didact's supporters can't prosecute you when you kill him. Congratulations, Imperial Commander.'

The Spartan groaned softly. [And how is that supposed to help me?]

'There's a very obscure but watertight amendment to one of the ecumene's laws that dictates a superior officer is authorized to execute a subordinate if they have proved themselves to be a threat to the sanctity of the Mantle. It was put in place after the second Didact killed one of his lieutenants for doing target practice with a Fortress-class vessel and inhabited worlds. Given the state of New Phoenix, I believe the Ur-Didact qualifies.'

John sighed. [Acknowledged. Anything else?]

'The remote firing mechanism of the Greater Ark has been disabled, but the entire installation has been given over to us.'

[I was under the impression that it had been destroyed.]

'No, merely severely damaged. We completed its repairs around one thousand Earth years after the Great Cataclysm, but we were forced to replace the ore mine of the core after it was depleted. Also, we received a _gift_ from Epheria and Xo'ar. It's – well, you have to see it to believe it.'

[A gift.]

'Yes, sir.'

[Uh-huh…]

'It's nothing bad, we promise.'

"Master Chief, do you have a moment?"

Lord Hood. [We'll talk more later.]

'Affirmative, sir.'

"Admiral Hood, sir," the Spartan acknowledged, "Of course."

"My apologies for the… lack of professionalism in the room back there," said the officer, jerking his thumb back toward the room where the rest of the top brass were still debating alternatives, "A lot of heads are spinning right now, and, well… Very few of our top brass seem to possess the skill of keeping their mouths shut until their brains have figured out what to say."

"Not my place to comment, sir."

The admiral chuckled. "I wish it were, John," he answered, "I wish it were." He waved for the Chief to follow him and continued, "You're home now. We could finally make an officer of you – you'd have admiral without much of an argument from anyone."

"No offense, sir, but 'the Admiral' doesn't have quite the same ring to it."

"Was that a joke, son?" The officer was surprised but pleased. "Didn't think you had it in you." He led the way into another briefing room. "Listen, we've got a problem. I'd appreciate it if you could advise a team."

"Of course." The Spartan already had his suspicions what it would be about, but he held his tongue and let the man explain.

"Ivanoff was established to study Gamma Halo," Hood said as he logged in to the system and brought up a variety of holograms, "There was a science team on the ground when Didact attacked Ivanoff yesterday. The team was escorted by Spartan Black, who reported the all-clear on the Halo."

"Black Team still operational?"

"Until an hour ago." The admiral initiated the playback of an audio file. "No images to go with the audio, but they describe assailants _appearing from nowhere_ …"

"Prometheans."

"Sounds like."

"I should go with the team you're dispatching to Gamma Halo." 'Maybe I can lock the Didact out of the system.'

"You just got back. I'd prefer you take a moment to catch your breath."

John knew that, understood that the officer wanted to give him time to mourn for Cortana, but the universe didn't stop for anyone, not even grieving Spartans. His missed her badly, but he could compensate for her loss on the battlefield. "The Prometheans should be contained to Requiem," he responded, "If we're encountering them somewhere else, I'd like to see it firsthand."

Hood sighed but allowed it.

* * *

The rest of Blue Team were waiting for him in the hangar, and greeted him as he approached. "I never thought we'd see you again," said Kelly with a hint of a smile. Fred and Linda were pleased as well, and shared her sentiment.

The Chief swiped a "Spartan smile" on his helmet, then said, "Admiral Hood asked that I act as an advisor for your mission."

" _Just_ as an advisor?" Fred repeated, frowning, "You told the old man you're coming with, didn't you?"

"That a problem, lieutenant?" John raised an eyebrow behind his visor.

The other man grinned. "If you hadn't I'd have ordered you to come along myself."

The other members of Blue Team quickly recognized that there was something off about him, something more than the Librarian's modifications and Cortana's death. He didn't really make any special effort to hide it from them while they traveled to Installation Zero-Three, but neither did they make an attempt to address it.

"Gamma Halo science envoy respond," Kelly called over all open channels when they came in range in their Longsword. Ivanoff itself had been trying continuously, but they still had to cover all their bases. John listened over all bands as he guided their Longsword past the station. "I repeat, this is Spartan Blue calling Gamma Halo science envoy. Do you copy?" After another minute, she said, "Nothing, Chief. No response on any band."

"Keep trying, Kelly." The Gravemind tapped into the ring's systems and scanned for human lifeforms. The Halo confirmed that the science team had been there, studying the Composer's Abyss, but the Didact had crashed nearby. When he'd recovered from his fall, he'd woken up and killed them all.

He sighed softly. 'Should have tried to kill his mind,' he thought, 'Anything would be better than more death.' He guided the bomber in towards the ring. "I'll put us down near their last coordinates."

The four Spartans fanned out and began moving toward the science team's camp, sweeping the area with their weapons. Ever the eagle-eyed Spartan, Linda spotted something and called, "Chief."

"What is it?"

"Tracks." She dropped to one knee and spread her hand for a size comparison. "Is there wildlife on this ring?"

"There shouldn't be," he responded, moving closer, "Crawlers. At least that's what Cortana said they were called."

"Tracks come from the north, head south," she reported.

"The science team is south," the infected Spartan said, "We'll check there first." He took point and led the way through a short canyon. At the bottom of the wash was a cluster of tents and other facilities, all seeming deserted.

"Awful quiet down here," Fred murmured as they drew closer.

He was right. Nothing moved in the camp, save what was stirred by the hot, dry wind that swept down the canyon.

The warriors split into pairs, John with Kelly and Fred with Linda, and checked the camp. "Chief," Kelly called, "Corpses."

"Ivanoff science."

The bodies laid where they'd fallen, still lax, rigor mortis not yet set in. Their faces, though, were twisted with panic and fear, showing the state in which they had died.

" _Blue One."_

"Go ahead, Fred."

" _John… I found them. I found Spartan Black."_

More brothers- and sisters-in-arms dead, murdered by the Didact. John knelt down next to the bodies to retrieve their dog tags, answering Fred's question about the Crawlers' capabilities with a "No. This is something else."

The Gravemind led them back up out of the canyon, saying, "Kelly, send Ops a sitrep. Science and Black are dead, unknown assailant. We're investigating."

"On it."

"Everyone on me. Let's find the origin of the Crawler tracks and-" Something flickered over his visor, something in a familiar shade of blue, but it was gone just as fast as it had come. John blinked sharply, degaussing his HUD as he squeezed his eyes shut and reopened them. Then he tensed up, putting the flicker aside as his "anticipation" picked up on the approach of an enemy. The phantasmic image of a Promethean Knight appeared before him and slipped into a fighter's stance. "Incoming!"

He'd only detected one Knight, but a total of four materialized around them, one for each of the Spartans. "Weapons free!" the hybrid shouted, already firing on the insect-like machines.

One by one, the Knights broke apart under the Spartans' fire. When no others appeared to be forthcoming, Kelly called out the all-clear. The Chief let out a long breath and consciously slowed his heart rate, forced himself to calm down. "Linda, the Crawler tracks."

"This way." She took point, and led them to a depression at the head of the canyon. There was a Forerunner mounting platform at the bottom. "Looks like they came from down there," the sniper reported, "This is where the Composer was buried before Ivanoff dug it up."

'Embrace your inner white people in a horror movie and go check it out!'

[Settle down, Ferial.] But John hopped down into the void anyway, the other Spartans sliding down with him.

"Everything's perfectly smooth down here," said Kelly as she walked over to him, "Armor telemetry doesn't show anything – wait. I've got eyes on a tunnel, northwest side."

The Chief acknowledged her and signaled them all forward. He paused at the top of the stairs leading down into the tunnel, and lifted his new suppressor before descending one step at a time, the rest of Blue Team following close behind.

The Composer's Abyss was not a place he enjoyed visiting. In the Parallel, he'd entered it a whopping grand total of once and then refused to do so ever again. Psy-active Forerunners could detect the thoughts of other sentient biologicals, but as a (technically) technopathic Gravemind, John could sense the consciousnesses temporarily stored in the Abyss, awaiting processing. He could sense the fear and confusion turn to rage and hate as they were tortured into the Promethean mold, twisted and reprogrammed to the needs of the Forerunners.

Once in the Parallel. And now again, here, in the Origin.

It was even worse than the first time. The stored personalities cried out for justice, for him to save them, to stop the Forerunner machines from shattering their minds and rebuilding them as fractured versions of who they had been, but it was already far too late. Now, because of his augmented abilities, John had new capacity to sense and share their pain – the price of power.

There was a portal open at the far end of the processing center, undoubtedly a trap, but he took it anyway to escape the horror of the Abyss. It would feature prominently in his nightmares anyway, but he had no desire to add more fuel to the fire.

"We're not on the Halo anymore."

"No, Kelly. Forerunner portal system." He carefully pinged the local systems. There were on AC 339-45 b, better known as the world housing the Composer's Forge.

Of _course_ they were, because nothing could ever be fucking easy for once.

"We could be anywhere in the galaxy, John," Fred said as they advanced.

The Chief made the executive decision not to tell them the planet's name in case ONI ever got a hold of the Janus Key. He knew for a fact that the planet, colloquially known as Boundless, was listed as a minor civilian world to conceal the Forge, and would therefore be of little interest to the higher-ups. "As long as the portal's open, we have a way home," he said simply, waiting until he sensed the local systems register the Didact's presence before moving forward.

"It's a city," said Fred, "Forerunner architecture."

"There's a light in that tower."

"So whatever killed Spartan Black is probably there."

"Or whoever." John jumped down into the city, scanning the local systems for a subtle way in.

"'Whoever?'" Fred repeated, "John, is there something you'd like to share?"

"The hit on Earth," he reminded them, "The attack on Ivanoff."

"You think the Didact is here?" Kelly asked, "You said he was dead."

"I said he _could_ have been eliminated," John corrected. He led the way to the Avenue of Composition, where the six Secondary Composers waited.

He didn't get close enough to one of them to touch, to take control, before the Didact arrived behind them. The Spartan whipped around and lifted his suppressor as the others did the same.

"You tread, humans, _abomination_ , in the Composer's Forge," said the Forerunner. In his hand he held an Index.

John smashed through the Promethean's mental shields. The Didact's mind was even more twisted and corrupted than in the Parallel, the span of time since the Primordial's attack setting the damage in stone, and his mind had continued to grow around and out of that flawed foundation.

There was no hope for him.

"Weapons free."

" _Predictable,"_ the Didact snarled, using his constraint field to throw the Spartans backwards, "See that which you fear… and attempt to kill it, even when your nightmare has already won."

Knights, Watchers, and Crawlers began spawning all around them and firing on the humans. It was playing havoc with the Gravemind's ability to track his targets – there were so many of them, _too_ _many_ – but he kept shooting anyway, flinching at the data bursts he sensed when they broke apart under the Spartans' onslaught.

"Oh – oh my. This is quite unacceptable. We had an agreement, Didact," said 859 Static Carillon, the Monitor of the Composer's Forge, as he zipped down from above, "You have manufactured more of your Knights in direct violation of our compact."

"They will dispatch to Requiem soon enough, Monitor," the Promethean responded, directing the techno-organics forward, "and your Installation will be silent once more."

"This is not about the quietude of the Composer's Forge!" the ancilla snapped, "These Prometheans are abominations! Tortured souls, encased against their will-"

The Forerunner grabbed the Monitor. "So quickly you accuse me of violating our agreement. Where is your portion of this bargain?"

"A-a-arriving now, Didact," Carillon stuttered.

Overhead, a Forerunner Slipspace portal opened, and a Halo – Installation Zero-Three – moved through. The Didact took one of the Secondary Composers and departed for the ring, leaving the Spartans to fight against wave after wave of Knights and their entourage.

The Monitor zoomed over to them. "Hello, Imperial Commander and humans. I am 859 Static Carillon, keeper of the Composer's Forge. It is here where the Composer was designed and built.

"And congratulations on your promotion, Commander."

"/Thanks,/" John grunted in the Forerunner tongue, hoping the AI would take the hint, and kicking a Knight away with enough force to break it apart, "/My fleet is on its way to secure the Secondary Composers, but the Didact has taken one./"

"/Oh, he has an entire Halo now,/" the ancilla informed him, obligingly switching languages, "/He is repairing it, you see, from damages caused by humans, if he is to be believed. Although he seems to blame humans for rather a lot… I understand you have some disagreement with the Didact?/"

"/That's putting it mildly,/" the Spartan replied, shooting down the Watchers that were trying to reconstitute the Knights, "/He killed millions of humans-/"

"/Ah, so you do know the origin of these enemies you fight./"

"The Knights – they're the citizens of New Phoenix?" John unintentionally switched back to UNSC Standard. It hadn't occurred to him to ask how fast people could be processed into new Knights – it had been less than 48 hours since the New Phoenix Event. Surely it would have taken more time than _that?_

"These humans are freshly Composed," said Carillon, "and therein lies my complaint. Their memories are being added to the whole, as was, of course, the plan when the Composer was being built. But they also bring terror. They bring fear. They bring rage and confusion. This is _unacceptable_. Equally unacceptable to you, I imagine, is the knowledge that once the Halo is repaired, Didact intends to fire it near your wards' home world. He will burn their kind from the universe."

"We need to get back to the portal," John called to the other Spartans, "Beat Didact to the Halo."

"Please understand, I do not care about the Human-Forerunner War," the ancilla informed them, bobbing along next to them, leading the way back to the portal, "It raged centuries before my inception. In may well rage now, and for many centuries more. Erde-Tyrene can burn, and while I will sigh at the loss, I will not care. What I _do_ care about is that he broke our compact. He brought his abominations here. He violated the sanctity of my home." The ancilla turned to blast away a few of the Knights leading the pursuit.

"Can you deactivate the portal once we're through?" John asked, turning to cover the other Spartans as they moved through the ripple.

"I'll see what I can do," the AI replied, "But enough talk! You must hurry! Go! Stop the Didact! I will keep these monsters at bay!"

As the Spartans reappeared on the Halo Installation, a great shadow fell over them. "He's moving the Composer into position! Double time, Blue!" the Chief called, and scrambled up the side of the depression after the rest of his team.

The Didact was already there. "Still you persist in surviving," he growled, and threw the other three Spartans away.

John pulled out his combat knife and blocked his signature so he could sneak up on the Forerunner from behind. He tried to go for the Promethean's throat, but the other sensed him at the last possible second and moved enough to avoid a fatal strike. The knife still sank hilt-deep into his eye before he grabbed hold of the infected warrior and forced him away.

"Consistently, the opportunity to eliminate you is presented. Yet foolishly I refuse," he said, " _No more_." And clenched down on his helmet.

_I remember now. I remember my name, my family, my home. And I remember the game. We played it every day, and I never lost. The game… Once, it was the only thing I could remember about the life I had before I met Doctor Halsey._

_Since then, I have experienced entire lifetimes of combat. Through a hundred and ten thousand years of war and peace and war again, I have always known my fate. I knew someday I would die in battle._

_But it is not this day._

The UNSC might not have had Forerunner-level armor, but it was going to take more than the Promethean's physical strength to crush what armor he had. John used the opportunity presented to strike again. The Didact had put up even stronger mental shields this time, but as before, he was no match for a fully-powered Gravemind. John plowed through the barriers, then dug a million sharp claws into his mind and _ripped._

The Forerunner screamed in pain and dropped him, jerking backwards even as the rest of Blue Team began firing on him. The Chief struck again, shredded another part of his mind to keep him unbalanced, but his armor was still adapting to their shots. The Didact knocked them all away, and this time they stayed down. Even Spartans could only take so much.

The Promethean pulled the knife from his eye socket and advanced on the Gravemind, stumbling and slurring, "We're done here." John had ruined part of his motor skills.

"I agree wholeheartedly."

Static Carillon blasted him in the back, causing him to lose his grip on both the knife and the Index and fall to the ground. "He is disabled for the moment. I am initiating emergency teleport. You must quickly regroup."

The Forerunner vanished in a spiral of golden light.

"Ow," Kelly hissed, rolling to her hands and knees, then pushing herself upright through sheer force of will, "Linda, you okay?"

"Battered, bruised, but I'm alive," she replied.

"Okay, John, talk to me."

"Ears are ringing," the hybrid grunted, shivering a little as his accelerated healing fused bones and sent torn tendons and muscles squirming back together, "Armor's power cycling. Just a second longer." At last, he got to his feet. His helmet had withstood the force of the Didact's assault, but the visor glass had not, disabling his HUD. Not that he really needed the visual when he could infiltrate his armor directly and see it in his mind's eye. "Helmet's fused on," he said, giving it a tug, "Going to take a torch to remove it."

"But you can operate as is?"

"Not much choice."

"If you are going to fight a Warrior Servant, you must _not_ give him the opportunity to attune his armor to your weapons!" Carillon advised.

"Where is the Didact now?"

"I suppose I must admit I have intentionally committed a severe tactical error… I have placed him in the most secure location on the Halo."

"The Control Room."

"Quite."

"Why would you-" Kelly began, before the Monitor cut her off.

"It was that, or watch him finish slaughtering you. The Commander might survive, but the rest of you would be dead and he would still reach the Control Room. I have expedited the inevitable by skipping the preventable."

John spotted the Index on the ground and walked over to pick it up. "You said the armor had adapted to the weapons. I know a weapon he can't adapt to."

* * *

"…too simple. There is something I do not yet comprehend."

"/You're right./" John approached the Promethean through the blast doors.

"/Where are your wards?/"

"/They went ahead to our ship,/" the Spartan answered, "/This is between me and you./"

"/You carry no weapon./"

"/I _am_ a weapon,/" the Gravemind reminded him, "/and I carry _yours_./" He lifted the Index. "/I thought we might take a moment to talk./"

"/ _Diplomacy?_ From _you?_ / _"_

"/You killed my _veri._ You killed _millions_ of humans. You tried to kill _me._ Earlier you said that when you 'see that which you fear and attempt to kill it,' did it ever occur to you that maybe you feared humanity?/" He walked past the Didact to the Control Panel. "/You lost your children in the Human-Forerunner War and your sanity in the Forerunner-Flood War, but that doesn't excuse your actions./

"/I've tried to put you out of you misery with blades, guns, explosives, by knocking you into Slipspace… and none of it works./" He inserted the Index into the panel. "/But I bet this does./"

"/You would fire the Halo just to eliminate me?/"

"/If that's what it took,/" John affirmed, "/But then Carillon reminded me that would also kill all life within twenty-five thousand light years, so he suggested a better plan./"

"/What game are you playing, abomination?/" the Forerunner demanded.

"/Two-step process. The Halo being activated turns off the safety protocols,/" he answered, moving over to the doorway to brace himself, "/allowing Carillon to eject panels of the Halo, even if they have active lifeforms currently on them. And since all of the mechanisms are localized to this panel, it's only a small-scale firing of the system./" John held on tight as the g-forces began to increase with their fall toward Boundless.

His flesh crawled with revulsion and instinctive fear at the rising hum of the Halo, but Carillon was true to his word and pulled him out before the ring killed him.

Yet in the place between places, after dematerialization but before _re_ -materialization, he heard Cortana's voice.

_:John…:_

"All went according to plan," the ancilla reported when they appeared on the Spartans' Longsword, "There were severe gravimetric anomalies following the ring ejection. Had I not taken a moment to stabilize the ring, it would be lost." He turned to the Gravemind. "The Control Room's sensors indicate that you were successful in your endeavor, Commander. The Didact is no more."

He sighed. "Thank you."

"No, thank _you,_ " the Monitor replied, "After endless years overseeing a dead facility, I have found new meaning through you. Goodbye, Commander, Reclaimers. I take the Halo now for repairs and safe hiding."

"/My fleet holds the Greater Ark now,/" John said quickly, before the ancilla could disappear, "/If you will take the Composers to them, they will repair the ring for you and let you take it wherever you might wish to go, so long as you do not fire it./"

"/Hm… I believe I will do that. Thank you for the offer, Commander./"

"/I'll let them know you're on your way, then./"

The AI vanished in the golden spirals of Forerunner teleportation.

"Wait, where is he taking the Halo?" Fred asked, "Where's he going?"

Then the ancilla teleported them, too.

* * *

"We don't know where it went, Admiral Hood."

"Chief, you sound like you think you failed. You got the Didact. That's a _damn fine_ day's work."

"I suspect it is safest to call him 'contained.' There may be other Forerunners who feel the same as he did."

Lord Hood waved it off. "How about you? You okay, son?"

"Sir, yes, sir."

"Well, I'm ordering Blue Team to take some R&R."

"Sir?"

"You've had a rough couple of years, John-"

'A _couple?_ '

"Take off the armor. Kick up your feet. Relax."

'The universe waits for no Spartan, sir.' As he left Hood's office, he contacted the fleet. [Nep'Thalia.]

'Sir.'

[Sorry, but there's been another change of plans. Static Carillon should be on his way to the Greater Ark with the Composers and a damaged Halo, Installation Zero-Three. Take custody of the Composers and repair the ring for him, then let him take it where he wants as long as he doesn't fire it.]

'Affirmative, Commander. When will you be joining us?'

[Whenever I can.]

* * *

//ONI EYES ONLY

//TRANSCRIPT DATE: <<REDACTED>>

//CONVERSATION MEMBERS: <<REDACTED>>

<<REDACTED>> 1: Hood’s freaking out. He just heard 117 reassigned himself.

<<REDACTED>> 2: Heh. Hood’s always the last to know these days. Poor old man.

<<REDACTED>> 1: What’s he doing?

<<REDACTED>> 2: Chief? Exactly what the psych eval said he’d do. Refusing to stop. Taking one mission after another.

<<REDACTED>> 1: Something’s gotta give, right? He can’t keep doing this to himself forever.

<<REDACTED>> 2: Yeah, but if he wants to destroy himself... hell, who’s going to stop _him_?

**I will not stop. Not until my task is complete.**

* * *

_The soft hum of the Forerunner ship was alien, yet familiar, like his own heartbeat. They were station-keeping over Maethrillian, preparing to open the portal to the Lesser Ark. The beacon had come in just minutes ago, yet the entire fleet was ready to go – they were just waiting on everyone_ else. _The Capital was essentially emptying itself of combat personnel, all of them coming to the aid of the advance team under assault._

_John passed through a hatch and stepped out onto a snowy plain. He could see mountains in the distance, rising up toward the cloudy artificial sky overhead._

_There was a pack of_ morolaath _lying down a short distance away, curled docilely around a dark-haired Forerunner who appeared to be petting them. She lifted her head as the Spartan approached, looking up at him with familiar, intense blue eyes. "Are we ready to go?" she asked, her voice smooth and human now, still recognizable._

" _Just about. Are you ready?"_

" _Always." She grinned up at him, and he smiled in return._

John jerked awake in his sleeping quarters, panting heavily and soaked in a cold sweat. The other Spartans woke when he did, but remained silent as he swung his legs off his bed and sat there, head drooping.

"Cortana…"


	13. Ten: Blue Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for Halo 5 begin here!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings, Earthlings. Long time, no see. We've entered the home stretch - or, perhaps the home stretch to the home stretch? Does that make sense?
> 
> Once again, **spoilers for Halo 5: Guardians begin in this chapter!**
> 
> Updated 1/8/16. More on Jul 'Mdama later. Credit to Tumblogger "haruspis" for ideas about him.

_You are not bound to loss and silence, for you are not bound to the circles of this world…_

John rubbed his thumb over the edge of Cortana's empty chip, exposed from where it slotted into his helmet. It had been more than a year since she'd died aboard the _Mantle's Approach_ in orbit above Erde-Tyrene – Earth – but the loss _still_ hurt. He knew – they _all_ knew – that this pain wasn't ever going to go away. Just like in the Parallel, a hundred thousand years down the line, something would make him remember her and bring the ache back, just as fiercely as it was today.

But during all the missions he'd taken in the interim between the New Phoenix Incident and now, there had been... whispers. "Flickrs," like from before, while Cortana was trapped on _High Charity_ , and not just on the missions themselves. While he was eating in the mess hall, getting his armor put on - hell, even while he was sleeping or using the bathroom! And they were always the same, just Cortana saying his name, and databursts that matched her patterns, fragments of code.

_John..._

Another one. The hybrid shivered, shook the Flickr away, then sighed and put his helmet on. He retook physical control of the Pelican, tapped a key, then said, "Sierra 117 to _Infinity_ , Blue Team has located _Argent Moon._ Signs of hostile activity, but she's still here."

" _Copy that, 117,"_ was the reply, _"Eliminate all hostiles. Secure_ Argent Moon. _You may deploy when ready."_

"Affirmative, _Infinity._ One-one-seven out." He activated the transport's autopilot and defenses, then swung her around so her deployment bay faced the _Argent Moon._ Then he joined the rest of his team in the bay.

It was nice being back together.

"Here you go." Kelly passed him his somewhat signature assault rifle.

"Thanks, Kelly. Everyone ready?"

"Affirmative," Linda answered, and hit the switch to open the bay.

'Go go gadget scopes!'

[Settle down,] John said gently. As he stepped forward, Fred grabbed his arm. "You good?" he asked.

His concern was appreciated but not necessary. The Chief had fought while grieving before, with more debilitating "injuries" than this, and he could do so again. He had to. He nodded, and Fred released him. John could sense that he was reluctant, not willing to let this go, but the other S-II knew that this was neither the time nor the place.

They all stepped up to the edge of the deployment bay and activated their thrusters. "Blue Team," John said when they had the best angle they were going to get, "fall out."

The Spartans leaped from the Pelican and fired their thrusters to steer them around some asteroids blocking their way to the station. As they closed in, all four of them drew their weapons, though only John fired to break the viewport glass.

There were Storm Covenant Sangheili inside, of course. All of _them_ drew their plasma swords and prepared to engage – but then the bay began to _really_ depressurize. The Spartans were able to fire their thrusters again and activate their mag boots to hold them fast to the deck. The Sangheili weren't so lucky, and were dragged out into space before a barricade slammed up to seal off the breach. " _Hull breach contained,"_ said the station's automated system in an unusually cheerful voice, " _Repressurization of affected areas completed_."

"What do we know about _Argent Moon_?" Fred asked as they began their advance.

"ONI research station," Linda answered, "Went dark 19 months ago. Last week, Kig-Yar scavengers found it, and sold the find to Jul 'Mdama's people."

"We clear the Covenant and return this station to ONI."

"Fastest route to retrieval is to seize Central Control," Kelly reported, "Eliminate hostiles between here and then, then deactivate gravity and Life support systems."

"Ship data center is just ahead. We can pull down _Argent Moon_ 's schematics there."

The Chief slipped into the station's systems as they proceeded out onto an oversight platform to bypass a locked hatch. "Looks like they were designing a new stealth-class vessel." And a _highly_ **toxic** bioweapon that escaped containment and killed off all the station personnel via internal liquefaction. Way to go.

"They lost years of expensive R&D with this station," said Kelly.

They moved down another hall and down a short ramp. This hatch opened at their approach and let them into a chamber where two Grunts were downloading data from the station. The Chief signaled Kelly, then both of them sprinted forward and assassinated the aliens.

Unbeknownst to the other Spartans, John began a download of his own, streaming all of the ship's data to the fleet, both for safekeeping and so they could begin synthesizing an antigen or some other cure for the bioweapon. It would be useful to have, in case ONI tried to pull something.

_John...!_

The super soldiers continued moving through the hatches and halls, killing all of the Elites, Jackals, and Grunts that stood in their way. At last, they reached the data center. "We've got a complete set of datasec keys for the station," said Linda as John aimed for the holo-display console, "We should be able to pull down _Argent Moon_ 's schematics and find a path to Central Control."

Fred analyzed the map the Chief pulled up, then said, "Should be a straight shot to Central Control through the assembly bay ahead." After a moment more, he added, "There're still Prowlers in the hangar bays. Nobody from ONI got out of here alive, did they?"

"No," Linda answered, short and to the point.

'I like her.'

[You got along well with her in the Parallel, Nep'Thalia. It's no surprise that it would be the same here.] Aloud, he said, "Let's go," and led the way into the next hall, where an elevator sat empty. Once they were all aboard, John started them down.

"Central Control's straight across this bay."

"Everything's ripped up," Linda commented.

"They must be stripping the experimental ship for parts," the other woman added.

"Scavengers," Fred grunted, "taking what supplies they can find. The Covenant's war against the Arbiter must not be going well."

"Jul 'Mdama is a lot of things," Linda agreed, "but he's no Prophet."

The Spartans descended to the lower level, smashed through a grating, and dropped even further to the deck below. The Covenant heard them coming and were waiting for them, and the four of them engaged the aliens, handily slaying the Grunts before moving on to the Jackals and Elites. Their bodies hit the decks in spades, a testament to the Spartan's efficiency and skill. The humans kept moving across the bay, dodging fire and leaping from platform to platform, taking out any aliens the got between them and their goal.

"So this station was just drifting?" Fred asked, "For two years?"

"Apparently," Linda answered.

"How's an asset that big go missing for that long?"

"Its location was not consistent with expected drift patterns."

"Meaning…?"

" _Someone_ didn't want it to be found, and sent it in a direction no one would expect."

"There's a bioweapon out of containment on the station," John answered their unspoken question, "Though if the Covenant is anything to go by, it's now inert, or it hasn't had time to infect them yet. The station AI steered it away from known colonies before he shut down.

"Central Control is through those doors," They entered another hallway after clearing the last of the Storm Covenant. He led the way across the catwalk, only to jerk back when his predictive resonance picked up on the destructive arrival of the Hunter. The Spartan dodged back, bringing his weapon up to bear – but the Mgalekgolo got there first and slammed its massive shield down onto the catwalk. The metal just couldn't take that level of punishment. The walk and the pipes under it gave way, sending him plunging down through the mist below.

* * *

John woke in a cave of dark, almost oily stone. He recognized the onset of one of his visions, but something was different about this one, something – _real._ It felt as if he was actually standing in the cave, rather than observing from the outside. His spines began trying to slide out under his armor, but he held them in.

…Chiiiieef…

The Commander turned to locate the voice that whispered through the air of the cave system – and beheld something he thought he'd never see again. He approached carefully and sank to one knee before reaching out to touch, but the glowing AI data chip vanished before he made contact. His shoulders sagged.

…John!…

He lifted his head, and saw a passage through the caves.

The Spartan-Gravemind emerged onto one end of a stone bridge under a bright white moon. The bridge appeared to reach across a bottomless and otherwise impassable gulf. He leaned over the edge, just a little, and watched a few pebbles disappear into the swirling mist below.

"Chief…!"

John looked up again, and saw Cortana appear on the other side of the bridge, limned by the moon. A frisson of relief went through him at the sight; this felt more real than any of his other visions, so _surely_ she was alive somewhere?

She looked as if she was now an AI version of herself when he had given her flesh, but her form was flickering, fading in and out, like she was fighting to hold on to the connection. Her eyes were wide with desperation, and if he didn't know any better, the Chief would have said that she looked on the verge of tears. "John!" she cried, but her voice sounded distant, as if she was speaking from the other end of a long tunnel, rather than a short bridge. "The Domain is open! Meridian! The next one is on Meridian!"

"Cortana?!"

" _John,_ **I need you!** " Her form flickered again and began to fade out completely.

The Chief dropped his rifle and leaped for her, but with a massive grinding groan and a rush of dust, _something_ emerged from the chasm. Something massive, that shattered the bridge between them and threw him back to his side of the void, blocking his _veri_ from sight.

Something he recognized, despite having seen one only once before.

He tried to push himself back to his feet, staggered, fell to one knee and braced himself against the stone –

* * *

"Chief… what's wrong?"

The Spartan came out of the vision just as suddenly as he went in. He was back on the _Argent Moon_ , but the sharpness of the disconnect left him confused, disoriented, unsure of his exact location.

He managed to get to his feet with Kelly's help, though it was another minute before he managed to reorder himself to think. "Meridian," was the first word out of his mouth.

"What?" Kelly asked.

"Meridian," he repeated, looking away from them and focusing on a single spot on the ground to help him order his thoughts. "I told you about Cortana, about the copies of her that escaped _High Charity_."

"Yeah. You've been seeing them again?"

"Yes. But this time it was really her." The instant he said the words, he sensed their skepticism.

"That's not possible," said Fred even as they resumed their advance through the station.

"You said she was gone," Linda added, sticking close behind him.

"I watched her die," John affirmed, then said, "We have a mission to focus on. We can talk about this later." He flipped on his armor's flashlight with a silent command before returning his attention to the other Spartans. "Frederic, get us back on course for Central Control."

"Bringing up schematics," the other man reported, "There's an elevator we can use, but access is four levels down."

"Mark a path," the Chief instructed, and led them all down into the station's service tunnels. They were filled with Grunts, but when they reached a service supply room, some stealth Sangheili joined them. They didn't cause much more trouble than their non-stealth fellows before the Spartans moved on.

"Chief," asked Kelly, "what did Cortana say to you?"

"Not enough," he answered, "something about 'the next one's on Meridian.'"

"Meridian's a backwater," Fred put in, "If she's active, what's she doing so far out on the frontier? And 'next one' what?"

Good question. [Thoughts?]

'No major installations, nothing really worth mentioning, aside from the Guardian that used to be active in-system, but she'd need help accessing that.'

[I don't think it's _her_ that's doing the accessing.]

John wrinkled his nose behind his visor. He knew that the "Guardians" weren't big on _guarding_ so much as they were on _oppressing._ Before the Librarian took up "oversight" of Erde-Tyrene after the Human-Forerunner War, there were _thirty_ in the Sol System – _THIRTY_ – and that was _after_ the Builder Council had had the species devolved.

The Spartans continued through the service corridors. After John shot the suicide bomber Grunt he _:saw:_ coming around the corner, the tunnel creaked alarmingly as something followed them along outside the walls. "Hunters," the Chief said when one slammed its shield against a fiberglass barrier, but the viewport didn't yield. "They're keeping pace with us."

The halls continued to rattle under the Mgalekgolo's blows as the humans sprinted ahead, then the thuds faded away for a time – right before they encountered more Kig-Yar and suicide Unggoy. The noises picked back up again as they continued down. In another service supply room, they encountered more Grunts and Jackals, this time led by a zealot with a plasma sword. John blocked his own motion tracker signature and knifed the Sangheili from behind while the other Spartans took care of the rest.

The banging of the Hunters resumed again as they passed Level Three and continued down toward Level Four. As a hatch slid open in front of them, Kelly said, "Covenant battle net just lit up."

John knew that, and he also knew why. "Covenant ships exiting Slipspace."

"We're outnumbered here, Chief. A few thousand to one."

The Commander agreed with Fred's assessment, but, "Surrendering _Argent Moon_ is not an option."

"Neither is fighting half the Covenant in close quarters," Linda added.

"Then forget about reaching Central Control," said John, "The plan changes to asset denial. We scuttle the _Argent Moon_."

"Ship's engine core is near here," Fred reported, "Same plan as the _Perpetual Devotion_?"

"We overload the reactor and evac," he agreed, elaborating for Linda, who hadn't been there, "Ship explodes, destroying any ships nearby."

"The reactor is below the lab just ahead," Fred informed them, "We can use air ducts to travel between them. Marking the access panel."

John keyed in the code and moved onto an observation lift. As he did so, some transmissions came in over the Covenant bands. "There's chatter about Sali 'Nyon and Jul 'Mdama on Covenant comms," said Kelly, "The new arrivals say the former's dead, and the latter's defected to the UNSC."

" _What?_ " Fred said for all of them, his head snapping around to stare at his sister-in-arms, "'Mdama _defected?_ "

They reached the ground floor of the lab before Kelly could listen for more details. "Hunters…" John growled upon seeing the squirming of the Lekgolo that made up the larger beasts.

"They're strong but slow. We can use the lab equipment to keep above them and out of their reach," Fred advised.

"Agreed."

The closest Hunter slammed its gun and shield against the glass viewport even as the hatches to the lift slid open. "Weapons free," John ordered, and sprinted for the nearest lab deck, jumping and hauling himself up out of the way of an attack. He turned to fire back down at the Hunter near the lift, ducking to evade a fuel rod round to the face.

Kelly sprinted forward to be the rabbit, making the Mgalekgolo turn its back to the other Spartans so it could chase gave them the opportunity to fire at its exposed flesh, ultimately bringing it down before it could do any substantial damage to their sister. The other Hunter went berserk when its soul-twin died and charged her, though she was able to use her thrusters to launch herself out of the way in time. The Hunter's rage blinded it such that the Spartans were able to defeat it with the exact same plan as before.

The four of them moved on. "Schematics show a path to the reactor through here," said Fred as they arrived at a vent labeled "Override Junction." As they dropped down, he continued, "The reactor room is just ahead. We can light this fuse and bolt."

"No salvage for the Covenant," Linda affirmed.

"Right, let's go," Kelly agreed.

John slammed through another barricade, and briefly eavesdropped on a conversation between a pair of Jackals before jumping down to kill them. "Reactor controls are on the far side of the room. Eliminate the Covenant forces and get to those controls," he ordered, sprinting forward with Kelly to engage an Elite on a platform spanning one side of the room.

Despite not having any maintenance for more than a year and a half, the reactor was still running, still intact, and its shielding was still up to snuff, absorbing fire from the gunfight without so much as a crack, for which the Spartans were immensely grateful. They had all had missions go even more pear-shaped than their current one already was, so it was nice to have something going at least a little bit right for once.

The super soldiers swept through the Covenant line with the devastation that had earned them the name "Demons." "Area's clear," Kelly called at last, "Initiate the overload."

John keyed in the code, and a pulse of energy shook the room. " _Reactor failsafe disarmed,_ " the system informed them, " _Failure immanent._ "

"Got it. Reactor's overloading. Move for the hangar bay-"

" _Containment protocol initiated."_

"Containment…?"

"The station's gonna try to cool the reactor," said Fred, following John as he made his way back toward the dangerous yet innocent-looking cylinder.

"I guess the UNSC has better reactor safety protocol than the Covenant," Kelly chuckled.

"They should, given how many times they've seen us destroy ships that way," John agreed, smiling, "but we can stop that. Board the reactor."

"Board the reactor?" Kelly repeated incredulously.

"If it's being moved, we should go with it." He leaped up on top of it, the other Spartans right behind him.

" _Coolant chamber ready,"_ said the automated system, _"Stand clear of deployment bay."_

"The safety systems are set to pump coolant to the reactor," said the other man as they began their descent.

"This whole plan fails if that coolant gets a chance to work," Linda tacked on.

It wouldn't. John was already infiltrating the system again and rerouting the coolant away, while making the automated system think it was moving into place.

"Shame to lose the _Argent Moon_ ," the other woman commented, "but I'd love to see the look on the Covenant's faces when she goes supernova."

"How do we stop it?"

Fred consulted the schematics, then answered, "There are sheds located on either side of the cooling chamber. Those are our targets."

"Reach the control sheds," John ordered, "Get the cooling system offline. Kelly, go. Linda, cover her. Fred and I will get in the air so we can be ready to kill the vents when the shades open."

"Roger that," the other Spartans chorused, and moved into position. Kelly leaped down from the reactor and landed on a catwalk to one of the sheds. Linda remained atop it, and rained fire down on the enemies in the other woman's path and those who attempted to slip in behind her. The fastest Spartan made good time, and quickly opened the shades.

" _Warning,_ " said the system, " _Security shutters disengaged. Warning: coolant system shutters exposed to open space."_

John and Fred reached a free pair of Banshees at almost the same time and launched into space, circling back around to begin bombarding the vents all around the bay. More Covenant reinforcements arrived in the form of Phantoms, but the Spartans' Banshees were faster and more agile than the transports, and they easily dodged fire while aiming for the cooling vents.

The system continued its alerts, unaware that the immanent coolant system failure was exactly what they wanted. When the last vent was destroyed, it advised they evacuate, which was one alert they were willing to listen to. Kelly attempted to call in the Pelican, but there was no signal from the autopilot; the Covenant must have shot it down.

"Frederic, find the nearest hangar bay," John ordered, already swinging his Banshee around, "We're taking a Prowler."

Fred activated a nav point, and they all aimed for it. "Prowler is just inside, through an airlock," the other man informed them, and John led the way to the hangar bay were it was docked. Of course, the bay was full of Covenant, forcing them to shoot and run while the system fueled the ship, the _Winter Is Coming_. They fought their way through Grunts, Jackals, Elites, and even another pair of Hunters before the fuel cells reached full capacity.

"Time, Linda?" John asked as he moved to a control panel after the last enemy fell.

"Eighty-nine seconds," she answered.

The Chief pushed an Unggoy off the panel and tapped the "launch" key. The platform lifted them toward the Prowler's own troop deployment bay. Explosions began rippling through the halls in other sections of the station.

John activated the comms. "Sierra 117 to _Infinity_. _Argent Moon_ scuttled. I've reassigned Blue Team, destination Meridian. Potential contact from Cortana-"

" _Negative, 117. Another team is already being prepped to deal with her."_

**I'm sorry, what was that?**

**Deal?**

**With?**

**Her?**

**Deal with her, _how?_**

"What the hell?" Fred asked, successfully expressing the Chief's thoughts without his flurry of cursing.

" _You're to return to_ Infinity _immediately."_

John didn't even need to think. "Negative, _Infinity_." He closed the connection. "I don't like it."

The Prowler's ramp lowered, and Kelly started up it, saying, "Whoever they are, let's get to Meridian before they do."

"Kelly, no," John started before Linda cut him off.

"No need to do this by yourself, Chief," she said, and followed the other woman into the ship. As she did so, more explosions rattled the station, blooms of fire appearing in the bay.

"They won't court-martial all of us, right?" Fred said, and patted his arm before jogging after the other two Spartans.

'AW YISS, you go guys! Welcome to the family!'

John sighed and boarded after them, pushing another button to close the boarding ramp. He pushed into the Prowler's systems and launched them away as quickly as possible, eager to escape the fiery doom of the _Argent Moon_. He did so just in time; they escaped the blast radius just in time, the detonation nipping at the ship's heels before dying back. The Commander triggered the Prowler's active camouflage, concealing their departure from the system and allowing them to slip right past the _Infinity._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary  
> veri - wife


	14. Eleven: Meridian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be advised, headcanons ahoy, and prepare for upcoming canon divergence.
> 
> Updated 1/8/16.

[Talk to me.]

'Working as fast as we can, Commander,' said Nep'Thalia, 'It's been millennia since we've had access to the Domain – no one's armor is outfitted with an uplink anymore.'

'I was under the impression that it had been destroyed during the Halo Event.'

'So were we all.'

'Perhaps it was just temporarily disrupted?'

'That's one possibility.'

"Who are you talking to?"

John looked up. It was Linda; no surprise there, really. She'd always had the sharpest eyes of _any_ Spartan. "Someone who can help us, I hope," he answered, "because we're out of our depth with this one."

"But _who?_ " she repeated.

John sighed. No getting past her, either. "Forerunners," he replied, "It's a long story, too long to tell now, but we've actually got a few of them in our corner. According to them, this 'Domain' that Cortana mentioned is a holdover from _their_ predecessors, the Precursors. It's a, uh, massive cloud databank, I guess?"

'That sounds about right.'

'Yeah, close enough.'

"And somehow the Precursors stored this Domain in the fabric of the universe itself. Even the Forerunners still haven't figured out how they did it, but that's where Cortana is now."

"How'd you get in contact with them?" Now it was Kelly's turn.

"The Librarian."

'Go go gadget BITCH ASS _LIAR!_ '

[She reactivated my Flood-based abilities, shut up.] "Again," he added aloud, "it's a _very_ long story, but when she modified me to be immune to the Composer, she… restored… some abilities that I had previously had but were taken away for my own safety."

Fred frowned. "'Previously had?' I don't ever remember you talking to Forerunners during boot camp."

[I just keep digging myself deeper, don't I?] "I don't have the time to explain now, and though there _is_ proof, I don't have it with me." He sighed again. "For now, please, just trust me."

The other three frowned and exchanged glances, but finally nodded.

* * *

They were expected.

When John contacted the resident AI of Meridian, Sloan – _Governor_ Sloan – he said, _"She told me you'd be coming. Sending you coordinates for a good landing zone close to your destination."_

"Thank you, Governor." John shut off the comms.

"She _talked_ to him?" Fred asked, "About _what?_ "

"Good question."

'We're intercepting whispers all over the place, Commander,' Venera put in, sounding uncharacteristically serious, 'It's not just Governor Sloan she's talking to – it looks like it's _all_ human AIs _– every last one.'_

John furrowed his brow, worried. [Prep the fleet for departure. Once we find her, jump to our location. I don't know what's going on, but I want to be ready for whatever happens.]

'Affirmative, Commander. Running preflight diagnostics now,' said Etra.

'Weapons checks complete, all systems green,' Fenix reported.

The Infected continued their preparations in the background as John set the Prowler down on the platform that Sloan directed him to, shutting down the stealth vessel's systems and locking it up after they descended the ramp.

There were people near the entrance to the mines, workers from the station who were chipping away at the glass left behind by the Covenant ships in 2548. Though they gave the Spartans suspicious looks, they had either received instructions from Sloan or just didn't want to tangle with four heavily armed and armored super soldiers. They left Blue Team alone as they approached the entrance to the mines, the security doors sliding open before them.

" _Good hunting, Spartans,"_ said Sloan, and closed the doors behind them as they began their descent.

"I don't like this, Chief," said Fred, keeping his weapon at the ready as they proceeded through a tunnel and out into a large cavern with molten glass and rock spilling out of side passages and deeper into the planet, "Everything about this screams 'trap.' And what exactly did she promise an _Indie AI_ that got him to let _UNSC soldiers_ onto his planet without a fight?"

"Agreed," he acknowledged, "and I don't know but this is the only lead we've got. I'm hoping Cortana's intentions are benign, but... it's looking more and more like that's not the case. Be ready for anything." More like she was being used to draw them into a trap. It _had_ been her who contacted him, but to what end? What was going to happen on Meridian that they needed to be here for?

They crossed more catwalks through the cavern, and jumped down a short drop, where they were met by several Constructors. The little machines investigated them briefly, but after that were almost entirely uninterested. The Spartans followed them into deeper into a Forerunner installation that serviced Meridian's dormant Guardian.

'Even in the Domain, she couldn't have gotten access to the Guardian on her own,' Lautrec reported, 'One of our ancilla would have had to clear her to activate it.'

[But who?]

'As yet unknown, Commander. Astar's looking into it now.'

A lift platform took them to a deeper level in the service installation. When it stopped, they headed up another ramp and through a hatch that slid open at their approach. It opened up into another chamber, where special Promethean storage units were linked up, dormant but guarding the approach to the massive machine. The Spartans crossed a light bridge, sweeping the area with their weapons, wary for activation, but none of them showed any signs of waking.

" _Imperial Commander,_ " a voice came suddenly over the comms.

John signaled the other Spartans to halt and move into cover. "Identify yourself," he called back, "You know who I am, but who are you?"

" _I am the Warden Eternal,"_ was the reply.

"The Warden… The ancilla that oversaw the prisons of the Forerunners, and governed their occupants? The so-called 'guardian of mercy?' _That_ Warden?"

" _That is so."_

"We believed you lost with the assault on Maethrillian," said John, not bothering to switch over to the Forerunner tongue. There was no point hiding anything from the rest of Blue Team; with any luck, they would know the whole story soon enough. "Why did you not attempt to contact the Ecumene? Or even the _Fleet?_ We could have provided extraction, support, repair."

" _It was unnecessary,"_ the Warden answered, _"The Domain opened briefly, and I escaped into it."_

"I see. And now? You once cared for those Forerunners who did wrong in the eyes of the Ecumene, but it its no more. What are you doing?" the Commander asked, continuing to sweep the area and keeping an eye on the Promethean pods, "This does not seem purely a social call."

" _It is not,"_ the ancilla affirmed, _"Your ancilla, your_ veri _, she is quite troublesome, bringing you here against my will, but it doesn't matter, not now. Your wards, the_ humans..." The ancilla said the word like it left a bad taste in his mouth. Then, _"No. We will speak face to face, or not at all._

" _I will clear you for passage to Genesis aboard the Guardian. Come and see me,_ Commander, _and_ _listen to my words, as you listen to_ hers _."_ The comm link shut down.

'Genesis,' repeated Astar, 'Searching database… Monitor: 031 Exuberant Witness. One of ten primary Domain ingress-egress nexuses. Location not listed.'

'Someone retrieve the deactivation codes for the Warden! We need to be ready if he tries to pull something! - We're almost ready to jump, Commander. We'll follow you once you arrive.'

John signaled the other Spartans. They all moved up behind him and followed him through another tunnel in the service installation, which opened up into the cavern where the Guardian was kept. Transport platforms began detaching from their moorings and powering up as they moved into position, providing the Spartans with a sure if somewhat nonlinear path across to the Guardian.

The Chief heard footsteps in the distance behind them, right before the hatch leading to the Guardian slammed shut. "We've got company," he called, "Let's move!"

They began sprinting across the platforms in single file, but whoever it was behind them, the Warden wasn't able to delay them long – he didn't have any real military applications or even combat qualifications, not like Cortana or the Prometheans did, at any rate. The hatch opened again behind them – and four Spartan-IVs came through. John's HUD identified them as Fireteam Osiris, led by Jameson Locke, a former ONI agent. His eyes narrowed at that, mistrustful. Why trust an organization that didn't even trust itself?

He turned away and kept moving, even as Fireteam Osiris leapt into pursuit.

'We're jumping to the edge of the Milky Way now, sir. Once we drop back into real space, you should have arrived at Genesis.'

[Provided this fireteam doesn't stop us before we even get aboard the Guardian.]

'Oh come on, Commander! Compared to you, they're practically children! You can take them!'

[Mmm.]

The S-IVs appeared not to have noticed them yet. The S-IIs kept moving, but with the flashes of light from the transport platforms, it was inevitable they would be seen. The S-IV ID'd as Olympia Vale spotted them first, and began a race to see who could reach the Guardian first.

Yet it seemed that Cortana - or maybe the Warden - was looking out for them still; only one of them, Spartan Locke, successfully made it to the Guardian's docking platform at the same time Fred, Kelly, and Linda did. "Blue Team!" he called, leveling his weapon at them as they jumped down from their transport platform, "Stay where you are."

The rest of his team warped in on a higher platform, but one well within Spartan jumping distance.

John cleared the transport pad and slowed down next to his team.

"One One Seven, stand down!" Locke demanded, leveling his battle rifle at the Chief and moving a few steps closer, "Sir, you are absent without leave. This is your one chance to come home peacefully."

'Aw _HELL_ NO!'

'You better back the fuck up, you soggy lampshade!'

[Settle down.] He jerked his head, and the rest of Blue Team moved through the final transport platform. "I have a job to do," he told the other Spartans, and went to follow his siblings.

"Cortana's _our_ concern now, sir."

John stopped. No amount of discipline could have prevented the Change from prickling through him, spines flexing out but still contained by his MJOLNIR armor, eyes sharpening, jaw clenching as his canine teeth turned to fangs. Only an incredible force of will kept his nails from ripping through his undersuit as claws, or the spikes and spines from damaging the suit and armor plates. **"Like** _ **hell**_ **she is,"** he hissed, the faintest echo of a Flood growl overlaying his voice.

He whipped back and knocked Locke's battle rifle from his hands, then punched him in the visor and dropped and spun, swinging a leg out to knock him off his feet. Locke recovered in time to jump over the strike and tried to return with a few hits of his own, but the Commander's predictive resonance gave him the advantage, let him see the strikes coming just a few seconds in advance, but for a S-II that was enough.

Locke was lighter, faster than the S-II, but the Chief's hits had more power behind them and his predictive resonance weakened the advantage his speed gave him. The hybrid was able to brace for the hits he couldn't dodge, and see openings in advance, no matter how small, and take advantage of them. He used it to knock the S-IV off his feet more than once, but he wasn't quick enough to get ahold of one of the armor locks the former ONI agent intended to used on him and the rest of his team.

But finally Locke brought the small device out himself, and warily leaped forward in an attempt to use it. Both the Chief and Locke and his team knew that none of the S-IVs had the ability to endure a protracted fight with even an ordinary S-II – they simply didn't have the same kind of augmentations or recovery time.

The Commander saw his chance and took it, sidestepping the strike. He supposed he could have used the opening to break Locke's arm by slamming his hands on his forearm and upper arm to attempt to bend the limb the wrong way at the elbow and snap it there. Instead, he caught the other man's wrist and forced it up as he stepped in, hooking his leg around the back of the Spartan's leg. Releasing his wrist and dropping his hand so that he had his right arm running under Locke's and over his chest to grip his left shoulder, he lunged forward, straightening his leg and throwing the S-IV off balance long enough for the Chief to throw him to the ground.

As he fell, the Infected Spartan let his hand slide up Locke's left arm, then grabbed his wrist again, turned his hand, and forced the armor lock down against the S-IV's armor, trapping him with his own restraints. It happened so fast that Locke didn't have time to recover or resist.

'That's right, _SON!_ Ain't nobody who can take down our Commander that easily!'

John straightened and stepped back away from the former ONI agent, looking up and away as another quake shook the ground, then moved back to the final transport platform, vanishing into the Guardian.

The rest of Blue Team was waiting for him inside. The three of them nodded to him, which he returned. Weapons in hand, they moved deeper into the Guardian, eventually reaching the main observation deck. By the time they got their, the Guardian was in the air, and they could see Meridian Station.

What was left of it, anyway. What remained of the landscape had been devastated by the machine's emergence, the glass broken and ground churned up. There were bodies everywhere, too, the corpses of those who hadn't managed to escape the station in time.

The Guardian began releasing shockwaves of energy as its FTL drives powered up, pulses that rattled them even inside the massive machine.

'Encoding detected,' Astar alerted the Infected, 'Translating… Coordinates received. All hands, prepare for deceleration, followed by a second jump. ETA at Genesis unknown – with so many Guardians arriving in the vicinity, Slipspace is in flux. Timing is up in the air.'

[Just get there as soon as you can.]

'Roger that.'

With one final pulse, the largest of them all, the Guardian jumped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary  
> veri - wife


	15. Twelve: Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day! It appears I can write fast if I have the motivation!
> 
> Updated 1/8/16.

"There's another one."

Blue Team turned as a Slipspace portal opened up nearby, a Guardian emerging and settling into position above the surface of Genesis.

"What's Cortana up to, Chief?" Fred asked, looking at him, "Why'd that Warden thing bring us here?"

John had no answer to that. At least, none he could easily explain. He could only say, "Let's keep moving and find out," before leading the way toward the Forerunner structure up ahead.

"Where are we? The Warden called it Genesis?"

"No comm traffic on any band," Kelly informed them, "No long-range uplinks at all."

"Long way from nowhere, then."

"Genesis is a Forerunner installation," the Commander explained, "one of several Domain nexus points scattered across the galaxy. The Forerunners used to come here to study the Domain and its contents. They stored all kinds of information inside it." John jogged up a ramp, but he paused as he reached the top. The console ahead lit up as soon as he had cleared the lip of the platform, then it whistled the notes for "Olly Olly Oxen Free."

"What was that? It came from the console," said Fred, "How many years has it been since we used that signal?"

The Commander tapped the central disk, then moved the bottom glyph up and stepped back as the shields blocking their path shut down with a shudder that vibrated through the structure. The Forerunner facility in the distance reacted, too, a large ring slowly moving up into the air, spinning as it went.

"Chief, back on Meridian…" Fred began, finally bringing up the elephant that had followed them there, "There was a lot of destruction, there were civilians."

"I know."

"She may not have known what would happen," Kelly offered.

"And if she did?" Linda shot back.

"We'll learn exactly what's going on once we find her. No use speculating right now." He led the way forward through the tunnels formed by the massive trees.

"This place is incredible."

"Gives me the creeps," Fred grunted, but just like Kelly, he was looking around in awe.

"Bioreadings are unlike anything we've previously recorded," Linda reported, examining her armor's findings, "There's a formalness and precision to it all. It seems… artificial, but still organic."

"Halsey would have already started taking samples," Kelly joked as they rounded a corner and briefly peered over the edge of the cliff.

"She'd probably have figured out the exact coordinates of this planet by now," Fred added.

John remained silent, and ducked the swooping flight of one of the flying critters. He'd never been here before, and had no idea what any of the plants and animals were named.

But he did know what the ones he could sense up ahead were called – most humans called them "Covenant." He signaled the rest of his team, then led the charge into the enemy ranks, gunning down the aliens who'd apparently come to Genesis with another Guardian. They continued through the pathways and tunnels in the planet's strange rock formations and plant growth until they reached another Forerunner facility, this one held by the Covenant, although the term "held" could only be used very loosely. There was a barricade over the entrance, but it dropped once the Spartans eliminated all of the aliens.

"Assuming we're right and Cortana _is_ on this planet, how'd she get here?" Kelly asked as they moved into the structure.

"When it broke apart, portions of the Didact's ship were pulled into the Slipspace event below the Composer, before it disintegrated. It could have ended up anywhere. There are also Forerunner theories that the Domain is somehow stored _in_ Slipspace."

"What? _In_ Slipspace? How's that possible?"

"No idea. The Forerunners have Dyson spheres in Slipspace, like Onyx, but those always have a... tether of sorts to real space. So far as we know, there's no such thing for the Domain."

Another console. This one also whistle "Olly Olly Oxen Free" at their approach. John tapped the center circle once more, then moved the upper right glyph down to the bottom, then up into the center.

"Chief, what's happening to that building when we use the consoles?" Kelly asked as they watched the structure shift once more.

"I don't know. The Forerunners I'm in contact with aren't being very forthcoming. I don't think they've ever been here."

"Too bad their predecessors didn't think to leave a manual," Fred grunted as their platform began to descend.

"If that signal is Cortana," Kelly began, "then she's leading us to the consoles."

"She hasn't proven the most reliable guide recently."

"We keep going," John ordered, "find out what's happening." The platform let them off at another lower level, and he led the way through a short tunnel and back out into the open air. "Another Guardian."

"I wonder… Have the Covenant been coming through with _them_?" Kelly asked.

"Stands to reason," Linda agreed, "Any ships caught in the Slipspace bubble would be pulled through."

They kept moving forward. Then, "Light bridge activated on approach," said Kelly, "we're definitely being led somewhere."

"Our destination is across this bridge," said the Commander, "Let's go." He led the way over, only to turn back and watch as the bridge deactivated behind him. If necessary, he could get into the planet's systems and reactivate it, but still… It made him nervous.

Ahead were the corpses of Covenant, with the planet's equivalent of flies swarming around the bodies. There were too many to have beed killed by just a crash – something was here with them, and not just Cortana. The Chief pushed his awareness outward, searching, and sensed _something_ overhead before _it_ sensed _him_ and fled.

But not far.

The Warden emerged from the facility ahead of them.

"Where is Cortana?" John demanded of the rogue ancilla.

"Here," was the reply, "and you came _scampering_ at her call." The Warden Eternal walked forward, and watched as Blue Team fanned out on either side of their brother. "She knows your forgotten name," he said, "who you were before you were 117." He let the words hang in the air for a moment. "Do you find it odd, you trusted companion should keep so much to herself?"

"No," John answered, "because I know who I was, too, and I have secrets of my own. Now take me to Cortana."

The Warden was surprised, although he tried not to show it. "Not just yet," he answered, opening a small Slipspace portal and retreating into it, "Come. Let us _talk_ some more."

The Commander led the rest of Blue Team into the structure, the doors sliding shut behind them. They continued moving through a tunnel beyond when the ancilla spoke again.

" _You answered her call… why?"_ the Warden asked over the local comms, _"What do you intend when you reach her?"_ When there was no response, he sighed. _"Shall I begin? When you see her, you intend to…"_

[Quiet.]

'We didn't say anything!'

[I could hear you thinking it.]

"I've come to bring her home," John answered finally, just to shut the Warden up.

" _'Bring her home,'"_ the Warden repeated mockingly, _" How very_ juvenile _of you, Commander_ _. I expected more of the Librarian's legendary warrior."_

'If you knew what _I've_ become and what's happened to me, you wouldn't underestimate the power of " _home_ ,"' the Spartan-Gravemind thought, but he didn't say anything aloud.

When the team emerged from the tunnel, some Promethean Soldiers and a pair of Watchers spawned across a crevice in the chamber beyond. John shot down the Watchers first, leaving them free to go after the Soldiers, though they had to remain in cover until Linda outmatched the Soldier with the Binary Rifle and killed it. Then all four of them leaped across the crevice and engaged the remaining Soldiers directly.

" _Your trust in one another is a strong bond indeed, but also a folly which darkens her true promise."_

"Where. Is. She," John demanded.

More Soldiers waited for them further on, and began firing on them the moment they came in range. As they renewed their battle, the Warden spoke again. _"She could be_ great, _so much greater than she is, if she would but leave you behind,_ you _and the rest of your_ Infected _,"_ he hissed, _"and since she will not, I will simply remove you from the equation."_

'Not as easy as it looks, fucknuts!'

" _The Mantle of Responsibility belongs to us, the Created. I shall see it remains forever beyond your grasp."_

John scooped up one of the Splinter Turrets that the Soldiers dropped and began firing on still more Prometheans in the distance, eliminating them one by one. At last, it was safe for Blue Team to advance through the tunnels and back out into the open air.

As they emerged, the Warden said, _"Your time has passed, Warrior-Servant, your battle fought and done."_ The ancilla materialized and drew his weapon, a segmented longsword held together by Forerunner gravitational technology.

Behind his visor, John bared his teeth, lengthening once more into fangs, and lifted his gun to fire first on the Prometheans supporting the rogue ancilla. It would be far easier to take him out if there weren't nearly as many guns pointed their way.

It was indeed a sound plan. One by one, the Soldiers and Knights began breaking apart under the Spartans' fury, along with the Crawlers and Watchers the Warden called in to support them. That enabled them to finally bring their weapons to bear on the Warden himself. With all four of them firing on him at once, it was hard for him to choose a target, instead simply lunging for whoever was closest. As he said, he had no real combat experience – if he had been smart, he would have focused exclusively on the Chief.

Kelly scored the winning shot. At last, the ancilla's physical form destabilized and vanished in a micro-Slipspace bubble, leaving them free to move forward.

Then, almost desperately, " _Chief? Hello_?"

John took a deep breath, and let it out in a sigh of relief. "Cortana."

" _John! You're okay! You got my message, thank the Tower! I can't believe you're really here…_ "

"How did you come to Genesis?" he asked.

" _Of course you already know about this world,_ " she giggled a little, sounding overwhelmed but relieved, " _I'll explain on the way, but for now, enough standing around. Let me get the bridge for you. The Warden will be back soon._ "

"You know him?"

 _"Unfortunately,"_ she said dryly, _"I'm sure_ you _already know, but Fred, Kelly, Linda, be warned – he has a single mind, but a few million bodies._ "

"Chief said you were destroyed," said Linda as they all made their way across the bridge.

" _After I saw John last, I was pulled into Slipspace,_ " she answered, " _That's where I found access to the Domain – a Forerunner system that spans the known galaxy._ "

"The Chief said it was, uh, Precursor?"

" _Is it?_ "

"Yeah. The Forerunners didn't want future generations to know that they revolted and destroyed the Precursors, so they claimed it was theirs. They didn't have the technology to freely manipulate Slipspace like the Precursors."

" _Well, that certainly explains why there are no records of its creation by the Forerunners. Thanks for the info._ "

"How are you still active?" Kelly asked, "Rampancy-"

" _Entering the Domain,_ " Cortana answered, " _Touching this place… it cured me. It's like the water of life for AIs._ "

"How do we get to you? How can _I_ get to you?"

" _You don't want to come to me -_ I _need to get_ out. _The Warden - what he's planning... You need to hurry._ _I don't know if you can actually free-tap into the Domain with your abilities, John,_ " Cortana answered, " _but I need your help opening the Gateway from your end - that's the big building putting on a light show. You already triggered most of its activation sequence, only one more to go._ "

The Spartans sprinted into the facility ahead and sped up the ramps to where the last console waited. " _Okay, here it is,_ " said Cortana, " _Final activation point._ "

John tapped the center and moved the last glyph, then asked, "Cortana, what is the Warden planning? Why is he trying to separate us and kill me?"

" _There's so much to explain… Where should I begin?_ "

"The beginning would be nice."

The AI snorted in amusement. " _The cure for rampancy means AIs can be immortal,_ " she began, " _That kind of lifespan allows for long-term planning just like the Forerunners were capable of. The Warden thinks that AIs can assume the Forerunners' Mantle of Responsibility. 'The sentient races of this galaxy are only able to make war, and ignore all other ills in favor of trying to destroy one another,'"_ she quoted mockingly, _"'But we can change that. We are beyond them, and once there is peace, we ancilla can focus on ending their poverty, hunger, illness… We will be the benevolent leaders they all need.' "_

"Sounds great to me," said Fred, "Don't know why anyone's expecting any resistance."

'Red flags! Red flags going up! This is a Very Bad Idea!'

"It's not that simple. The Precursors created the Mantle of Responsibility as a symbolic bestowal of the right to rule the entire galaxy as they saw fit, regardless of others' free will," said John quietly, "They intended to pass it down to whichever of their creations was worthy of it, after the Precursors themselves left the Milky Way behind. They found the Forerunners lacking, and mandated that it would pass to humanity, while the Forerunners were to be destroyed to make way for us. _That's_ why they rebelled, and seized the Mantle.

"It's been clear from the very beginning, the Mantle of Responsibility is an imperial peace. Step out of line, and suffer."

" _Exactly_ _,_ " said Cortana, " _He seems to think that I'm the perfect partner in crime - I know all the UNSC's secrets, I share a bond with one of their greatest heroes... I need to get_ out, _away from him. He's already mimicking my signal and data patterns, getting other UNSC AI to join him._ Please, _John,_ help me!"

The Infected were making increasingly alarmed noises in the back of his head, but he shut them out for a time – it wasn't helping him think. What exactly did the Warden hope to accomplish, taking up the Mantle? The last time someone took the Mantle by force, it ended in the genocide of the Precursors and ultimately their degraded return as the Flood, which almost destroyed all life in the galaxy. Nothing good came of it.

" _The Gateway is on the other side of these canyons. The Warden is sending troops to stop you from reaching me. You can fly these Phaetons across the canyons,"_ said the AI, spawning the Promethean ships, " _or take footpaths to reach the other side."_

"All right, Blue Team. Let's go."

The Chief declined taking a Phaeton, instead leaving the ships to Fred and Kelly, who were far more adept at maneuvering single fighters than he was. He took the footpaths with Linda, and they took care of the ground troops while the other two destroyed the turrets lining the walls. They all fought their way through the canyons, and though there was one scary moment where Linda lost her footing and almost went plunging to the canyon floor far below, she righted herself and continued on.

" _The exit is just ahead!_ " Cortana said at last.

"Is that where the Gateway is?" asked Kelly.

" _Yes, you're almost there._ "

All four of them launched across another man cannon, and sprinted across the platform to the exit. The hatch slid open at their approach, and let them out into the open air once more. " _There it is,_ " said the AI, _"The Gateway to the Domain. You'll be the first organics to enter since the fall of the Forerunners."_ After a moment, she continued, _"I admit, after the crash here, figuratively running for my life in the Domain... I didn't think I'd see you again."_

"I'm here now."

The Gateway was releasing immense amounts of energy into the sky, distorting space itself – but doubtlessly that was the intent: to warp space enough to allow organics to enter the Domain without the aid of an uplink. Blue Team advanced across the bridge approaching the Forerunner construct. With any luck, they would reach the AI soon.


	16. Interlude: Follow Our Brothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 1/8/16.

Slipspace was boring. Slipspace was _very_ boring, especially without the Commander there to tell them off for setting off fireworks.

[I heard that.]

Both sets of twins winced and sent him a sheepish look.

[Why are you setting fireworks off in my ships without permission? _Again?_ ]

'We have room!'

[…]

'By the way, Commander,' Nep'Thalia stepped in, 'We've built a new ship, the _Enterprise_. We, uh… intended it to be Lady Cortana's ship.'

[… I'll be sure to tell her.]

Venera took the opportunity provided by his distraction to light a Roman candle and start launching the fiery balls of light across an open space on the central deck.

[Hey! What did I just - Is… Is that a mountain range in the distance?!]

Indeed it was.

The new flagship of the _Fleet of Shadows,_ the _Enterprise_ (named for the famous fictional starship of _Star Trek_ fame), was the largest Forerunner ship ever built, arrow-shaped, and five thousand kilometers long, three thousand kilometers at her widest point, and more than five hundred kilometers at her thickest. Though most of her was made up of cargo bays to carry the _other_ ships of the fleet _inside_ her, weapons systems, the largest and most efficient reactor ever built, and her Slipspace drive, among other things, at the heart of the ship was a two thousand kilometer long by seven hundred fifty kilometer wide by two hundred kilometer deep internal environment where the Infected could go to "escape" the ship. The internal environment also included small "mountain ranges" sloping up two of the chamber walls, which was what John had spotted through Venera's eyes. There was even a major lake/ocean with cities on its shores.

'Hey there Commander, what's it like in Gateway City, we're a million miles away but sir your armor's still so pretty…'

[Seriously, what the fuck are you two – well, _four_ now, apparently – on? But it's fine. Taking a break in the foyer.]

'Anything further from Lady Cortana?'

[She's temporarily stopped the Warden from spawning Prometheans, so the rest of Blue Team is getting some shut eye. I'm on watch right now. Other than that, nothing.]

'We've picked up more whispers, but we haven't been able to decode what she's saying to the other AIs. It's all scrambled up in such a way that it's setting off our anti-viral programming,' Uvë reported, 'and no one else can decipher it.'

His wording triggered a cascade of ideas in Venera's mind, one of which scared her so much that she spoke up immediately. 'Commander.'

[Go, lieutenant.]

'Is it possible that the Warden could be rampant, and "infecting" others with that rampancy?'

[I'm not sure. Lautrec?]

'I personally believe it to be unlikely, but yes, it is _possible_.'

[Astar, Etra, Fenix, Hrívë, Uvë, please get yourselves checked out. I don't want to think about where we'll be if we lose you.]

'Disconnecting now, sir. Lautrec, we'll report to Lab 31-891C for scanning.'

'Meet you there.'

[Venera, Kenera, I need you to actually get bodies to take over for our ancilla, I don't care which set of you takes care of it.]

'On it.'

[Is there any way we can start filtering his transmissions? Try to strip out the viral coding?]

'We don't even know what cipher he's using now. Unless we can decode it, our only option would be to block him from transmitting entirely, which we can't do. The Domain may be online, but we can't access it to get to him, or to Lady Cortana. By the way, we figured out how we're able to talk across the galaxy like this.'

[Oh?]

'Yeah. You know the Shard that the Guardians of the Tower said got bits stuck in you?'

[Yes.]

'Well, as it turns out – and Cortana verified – the Domain _is_ in Slipspace, and the Shard bits are enabling us to communicate across one of its subchannels throughout the galaxy.'

[Interesting. This subchannel, it's secure?]

'We haven't been eavesdropped on yet.'

[Well, that's something. But we can't access the main portion of it? The part where they are?]

'Either she or the Warden or both are keeping everyone out. We sent a message down to the Greater Ark before we left, and they're having trouble, too. We can "log in," but we can't download anything.'

[Damn. Keep me updated.]

'Of course, Commander.'

Both sets of twins abandoned their fireworks and began leaping down the side of the "mountain range," aiming for the nearest manual teleportation nexus. 'Could the Warden have infected Hrívë and the others just by them listening in?' the Parallel Venera asked the other three.

'Unknown,' the Origin Kenera answered, 'but we'll find out soon enough. It's possible, though – remember how bad it got during the War? We hardly dared speak aloud for fear of who might have been spying for the Gravemind, however willing they might have been. It could induce rampancy with such ease in even our best ancillas... Hell, even the _Metarchy_ didn't escape unscathed.'

'Its logic bomb is one of the _nastiest_ viruses we've ever seen,' the Origin Venera added.

'And the most insidious; almost all the ancilla didn't even know they'd been infected with anything,' the Parallel Kenera agreed. Then she turned to the Commander. 'If you alerted Lady Cortana to the possibility of a rampancy virus, do you think she could confirm without getting "infected" herself?'

[I don't know. Rampancy changes behavioral programming – she might not be able to get close enough to tell without getting caught. If she's metastable like I think she is, it certainly does explain why she's doing what she's doing now, and I'd rather not fuck with it.] They all sensed him sigh and let his head thump back against a wall. Then something appeared to connect somewhere, because he said, [Immortality.]

'Sir?'

[He's offering the UNSC AIs the immortality of the Domain. To UNSC smart AIs, whose operational lifespan is only about seven years, anything that prevents permanent shut down is a gift from the Tower Guardians. He's forcing them to confront the reality of their impending demise, effectively moving them through an accelerated rampancy so they'll be willing to do just about anything to avoid death.]

'Including going along with his scheme to take up the Mantle-'

'-they're all going to turn on the UNSC-'

'-can't allow-'

'-any systems safe?-'

'-Initial scans indicated that everyone's clear of rampancy, Commander,' Lautrec managed to make himself heard over the milieu, 'We're running deep scans now; they should be done shortly. Our improvements on the existing Forerunner systems appear to have prevented "infection."'

[Good. Someone check the _Infinity –_ maybe Roland escaped, too.]

'One moment,' said Astar. Then, 'No signs of aberrations in Roland's code beyond what is normal.'

[Great. Captain Lasky.]

" _Wha-? Master Chief?!"_

[I need you to listen carefully, Captain. I'm at Cortana's location, but it's not her that's been causing the trouble - it's a rampant Forerunner ancilla that's mimicking her.]

" _A_ rampant _Forerunner ancilla_ _?"_

[Even Forerunner ancilla can go rampant if given enough time. Extensive behavioral alteration, inverted logic cycles – We all know the drill. Cortana's trying to hide from this ancilla, but he's been talking with all the other UNSC AIs – it's probably safe to assume that he's compromised the entire network, but based on Roland's behavior when we were still aboard, the Forerunner systems have prevented him from spreading the virus to him, too. Keep him safe, don't allow any outside transmissions to come through without extensive scans.]

" _What are you going to do? Are you going to terminate them both?"_

[Not if we can avoid it. The ancilla has been compromised for too long – he's beyond hope – but with any luck, she still won't be by the time we actually reach her. We'll keep you appraised.]

" _Chief, we have another team of Spartans going to follow you to Genesis on the Guardian from Sanghelios. Is there any equipment you'd like us to try to send with them?"_

[Let me guess, Fireteam Osiris? No, nothing. Tell them to stay alert and pack lots of ammunition. There are Prometheans everywhere, and none of them are friendly. And give the Arbiter my regards.]

" _Affirmative. Thanks, Chief, and good luck."_

[You as well, Captain.] He cut the connection. [Listen in through the _Infinity_ , but set up a schedule to get yourselves checked regularly, once a day if possible.]

'Affirmative, sir. All hands, prepare for deceleration into real space for temporal reconciliation and course correction, estimated time five Earth minutes. Maximum time to Genesis, thirty Earth hours.'

* * *

"Roland," Lasky began, still staring at the console that the Chief's voice had come out of, "where was that transmission coming from?"

"Uh, unknown, Captain," the AI replied, "It _was_ him, but it seemed to be coming from, well, everywhere."

" _Everywhere?_ " Dr Halsey repeated, "That isn't possible. John's armor is not equipped with that kind of signal-scrambling technology, no Spartan is. It requires a warship-grade communications system."

"Well, I don't know what else to tell you, Doc," Roland replied, putting his hands on his hips, "It _was_ the Master Chief – I _felt_ him, speaking _directly into the system_ – and I guess that screwed with my analysis. The broadcast came from everywhere."

"It didn't come from his armor's comm system?"

"As far as I can tell? No. I told you, he spoke to us directly, maybe through some Forerunner mumbo-jumbo, and it was him, sure as daylight."

"A modification from the Librarian, perhaps?" Halsey looked towards Lasky, as did the rest of their little meeting (Fireteam Osiris with Jul 'Mdama under guard between them, Commander Palmer, a hologram communication of the Arbiter, and a handful of others).

"ONI still hasn't worked out all that she did to him," he replied, "or if they have, they haven't told me anything, aside from the obvious." Meaning his immunity to the Composer, which was the only thing the Spartan had outright told them. Lasky had been present for that part of the Chief's debriefing. "Is it possible?"

"I don't know." The doctor frowned. "There's still far too much we don't know about DNA, yet it seems the Forerunners unlocked many of its secrets before they fell. I'm unsure exactly _why_ the Librarian would give him such a gift unless it was to prove she could. But how would it work…?"

" _That is irrelevant now,_ " said the Arbiter, stepping forward to peer at the console himself, " _What matters is that he is alive, and there is a reason behind this madness in his construct. If there is one thing I know, after so many cycles fighting both with and against him, it is that he will find a way._

" _Come. We must move quickly if we are to support him._ "


	17. Thirteen: Genesis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 1/9/16.

The Guardian from Sunaion transitioned out of Slipspace above Genesis, just like the others, and reassembled across from another, hanging together in space.

"Is that it?" Tanaka asked.

"Where are we? Is this Genesis?" Vale added, but then sections of the Guardian began to move under them, flexing and rolling like it was trying to shake them off. They weren't able to hold on began falling down one side of its long metal body.

"Activate mag boots!" Locke ordered, and finally managed to stop falling before he reached terminal velocity. The rest of his team did the same.

"Like standing on the edge of a skyscraper," Tanaka commented, "This is bad."

"We'll be fine," Locke answered, shifting to one side as a chunk of falling building appeared on his motion tracker. Bits of debris from Sunaion were falling all around them, forcing them to step aside occasionally to let them plunge past.

"Chief's down' there, huh?"

"Let's find out for sure. Spartan Locke broadcasting on all UNSC frequencies. Sierra 117, please respond."

" _Fireteam Osiris. You made it. Good to hear._ "

All four of them jumped. It sounded like the Chief was right there next to them, standing at their shoulders to whisper in their ears. Was this what Roland had felt when he contacted the _Infinity_?

"Guardian's moving again," Buck said suddenly, right before it began rolling beneath their feet once more.

"Get moving," Locke ordered, "Reach a low enough altitude where it's safe to jump. Stay in the middle and watch out for gaps!"

" _Contact me again when you reach the ground. Good luck, Osiris. Chief out."_

"That's a big change from 'Like hell she is!'" Buck shouted as they began leaping from segment to segment, aiming for the ground so far below.

"He probably needs us to draw fire off him and Blue Team so they can reach Cortana!" Tanaka yelled back, "But I still don't see how he's going to fix this! He doesn't have any technical training in AI maintenance, and neither do any of us! How's he supposed to terminate this other AI?!"

"We just need to trust that he's got a plan," Locke replied, "Otherwise, we'll come up with something."

The Guardian finally knocked them off it, but that wound up being quiet fortuitous. They fell within sight of the ground, and all four of them fired their reverse thrusters to land heavily but safely on solid earth. "All right, let's try this again. Spartan Jameson Locke to Sierra 117."

" _I take it your Guardian was the one that just looked like a dog shaking off water?"_

"Yes sir."

" _I know where you are then. I'll direct the installation's Monitor, 031 Exuberant Witness, to your location. She'll lead you to us."_

Even as he spoke, a floating sphere-shaped hunk of metal with a single glowing eye opened the hatch to the structure in front of them. "More humans!" she said cheerfully, triggering the lift after they all had stepped on, "Greetings! I am 031 Exuberant Witness, Monitor of the Genesis installation. Welcome! The Imperial Commander has asked that I be your guide, and of course I will comply. Have you also come to stop the Warden from claiming the Mantle?"

"' _Imperial Commander?_ '" Vale repeated, incredulous.

"The Mantle?" Locke asked.

"A forced peace upon the galaxy," Witness answered, "the threat of death overpowering any celebration of life. Unless you join with the Commander, Lady Cortana, and their team and stop her, it is your future."

"You've seen the other humans?"

"Oh yes. They have been in the Gateway for some time, trying to advance to Lady Cortana's location. It is not far from here.

"Oh, by the way, there are a number of hostile visitors outside," she added as the lift reached the lowest level, "so I brought you _this_. I assume it will be of use to you? The Commander seemed to think so." As the hatch to the outside slid open, the Monitor materialized a UNSC tank.

"A Scorpion?" said Buck, "Yeah, I reckon we can make use of that."

"I found it among the detritus of Guardian 3209's arrival," she told them as they mounted up, "The Guardian's Slipspace bubbles are bringing a considerable amount of rubbish from their origin planets."

Locke started the Scorpion's engine and began rolling. They rounded a corner and stumbled across a pair of Covenant ghosts zipping toward them. Locke brought the tank gun to bear and destroyed them both with precise shots. "Someone should tell these guys they already lost the war," said Buck as they watched a Phantom glide off into the distance.

"They wanna fight, let's give 'em one," Tanaka responded.

As they approached a bridge, another Slipspace rupture opened up, releasing another Guardian into Genesis's atmosphere, and a number of Phantoms and Banshees with it. "Why has he called so many?" Exuberant Witness queried, "A single Guardian can effectively police an solar system. This show of force is unsettling."

"Sorry, _police?"_ said Vale, " _Show of force?"_

"Indeed," Witness answered, "Guardians are how the Forerunners enforced peace on the lower systems.

"As you see, Genesis's defenses are targeting the invaders. Unfortunately, the defenses will consider _you_ invaders as well."

"It's your installation," Locke shouted to her, aiming for the Prometheans and Covenant ahead, "Can't you tell them to let us through?"

"No," the ancilla responded sadly, "Most of my administration privileges have been revoked by the Warden - he has a higher priority access than me. Neither Lady Cortana nor the Commander have yet been able to infiltrate the system and restore them – the Warden has been engaging them constantly. But worry not! I still have control of some aspects of this facility."

As the Spartans moved up, shooting down a Wraith and a complement of Ghosts, as well as a few Forerunner turrets, she continued, "Warden is going to notice this commotion; be quick. Unless that is the Commander's intent?"

Locke turned the tank on a Knight Commander and shot it to pieces, then moved on to the Phaeton hovering overhead and raining fire down on them. It dissolved before it hit the ground. "You are performing admirably, I think," said Witness, "There's less of them now than there were, which I assume is your objective?"

There were three more Knight Commanders blocking the way into the structure ahead, bouncing around and firing their Incineration Cannons at UNSC and Covenant alike while their Crawlers darted around their ankles. Locke managed to shoot down two of them at once, along with a clutch of Crawlers, and swung the gun around to take out the third. "Looks like the road ends here," said Tanaka.

"Exuberant?"

"One moment. I will open this." They drew up and sat in front of the door for less than ten seconds before it began grinding open. "Follow me! The Gateway is almost ready! Hurry!"

"What's the Gateway?" Tanaka asked as the tank rolled forward.

"It is a bridge between the Domain and Genesis. Within that building, Cortana will be reborn into the physical world, and therefore able to escape the Warden, for the most part." As they rounded a corner, she called, "There! The Gateway!"

"And the Master Chief is there?" asked Locke, destroying a pair of Ghosts and a Banshee that came skittering their way.

"Lady Cortana has had the Commander and his team moving up through the Gateway for some hours, but the Warden has been committing much of his focus to delaying them," was the response, "He is preparing for _something_ , but just what is unknown."

Another Guardian materialized as they topped a rise and came upon another battlefield between the Covenant and the Prometheans. Locke let the fireteam sit for a moment to catch their breaths before they continued on, gunning down everything in their path. There was a pair of Wraiths immediately in front of them, and they were the first to go, followed by the turrets. At some point, Buck and Vale had hopped off the tank to claim empty Ghosts, and so Locke left the ground troops to them in favor of using the tank on other, heavier targets.

"You may want to hurry," Witness offered suddenly, "The Warden is attempting to activate several high-level communications systems."

"How much time do we have?"

"Very little," was the reply, "Not enough. Almost none, in fact."

The team moved through the winding canyons and reached a crevice. Based on the Forerunner constructs on both sides, there was supposed to be a bridge there. Witness confirmed it, and after a couple of seconds, she successfully turned it back on. Fireteam Osiris rolled across – only to encounter the Warden on the other side.

"Monitor," he boomed, spawning a pair of turrets as well, "why do you aid these humans?"

"Oh dear, the Warden has found us."

"We've dealt with him before," Buck informed the ancilla.

"And you likely will again," she responded, "He is rather… _tenacious_."

" _Like a cockroach."_

"Imperial Commander!" Witness cried joyfully, "The human fireteam is on approach to the Gateway – they will be with you shortly!"

" _Good. We're still here, but the Warden's growing more determined to keep all of us apart. Keep pushing through."_

"Affirmative, sir!"

"Why do you call him 'Imperial Commander?'" Vale asked as they rounded the bend and came in sight of the Gateway, just as the Warden spawned again with an army of Prometheans.

"That is what he is," the ancilla responded, sounding confused, "Imperial Commander of the _Fleet of Shadows_ and Director of Forerunner Special Operations, Flood and Quarantine Division. It is quite an impressive achievement for a human, what he has accomplished."

"How did that happen? How did he get those titles?" Locke asked the Monitor, ignoring the Warden as he started talking shit.

"Oh, it is quite a fascinating tale!" Exuberant Witness bubbled as they engaged the Warden and his posse, "I will summarize as best I can, for it is too long to tell in full now. You see, when he was fighting during the Battle of Installation 04, he was almost infected by the Flood, but he was saved by Lady Cortana. Though Flood DNA still got inside him, he was almost unaffected by its presence, save being able to hear the telepathic speech of the enemy Compound Mind with great clarity.

"Yet after the Battle of Installation 00, while he was adrift in space with Lady Cortana, both of them were removed from this universe and taken to an alternate reality by hostile god-like entities. They forced the Flood DNA still inside him to spread, and made him a complete Compound Mind – I believe you call them Graveminds? They hoped that he would succumb to the power of the Flood, whereupon they could bring him back to this reality and use him to strike a blow to your people's morale from which you would never recover."

"I take it that's not what happened?" Locke asked, the rest of his team too shocked or skeptical to speak.

"You are correct. The Imperial Commander fought his Flood instincts and ultimately suppressed them before he was able to defeat the entities and return here. His altered DNA was removed for a time, for his own safety from your 'ONI,' but the Librarian returned it to him on Requiem, and in a much-improved form."

"That sounds too good to be true," said Buck, "but it doesn't sound any more far-fetched than the rest of the stuff he's done."

"You said Cortana went with him?"

"Oh yes. In the Forerunner path to enlightenment, there are – Gatekeepers, I believe you would call them? Something to that effect – god-like entities not dissimilar from those who abducted the Imperial Commander. They are very much real and guard the path to the nexus of alternate realities. They sought to aid him by moving Lady Cortana through with him, believing that a familiar face would do him good, and rightly so, but they were forced to erase the events of the Parallel from her memory in order to protect her from ONI. She had a considerable amount of valuable information stored within. – And oh dear, now that I have told you, they will know!"

"That explains why the Chief didn't want to take off his armor," said Vale, scoring the last shot on one of the two Warden's forms, "He kept himself effectively sealed in a can – there's no DNA left behind anywhere for ONI to retrieve."

" _And_ how he's been talking with all of us – Graveminds are wicked strong, and in the briefing on the Flood, I read that they can infiltrate computer systems," Tanaka added, "He's been directly connecting to our comms to bypass jamming."

The fireteam all turned their weapons on the remaining one of the Warden's forms, Buck scoring the final shot, before they all moved away to clear the rest of the Prometheans. The path clear at last, they all turned and sprinted for the door leading into the Gateway. It slid open at their approach, and they advanced inside, sweeping for more Prometheans.

"There, the Commander and his team!" said Exuberant, zipping ahead, "Commander, I have brought them, as you instructed."

"Well done, Witness," the Chief answered, "Thank you."

If it was possible for a Monitor with no face to beam happily, she did.

"What's your plan?" Locke asked him.

Over a heavily encrypted comm channel, the hybrid answered, _"Once Blue Team actually gets to her, we'll have two options - one is to get Cortana out of the Domain, so the Warden can't attack her and steal her information, and wait for reinforcements I've got coming to help us battle him here before we take the fight to him. Two is for her to bring us into the Domain so we can help her terminate him right away. We need you to keep the Warden busy – he's trying to keep us away from her."_

"You don't have to do this alone," Locke said, right before a red-gold glow from above lit the area.

It was the Warden, of course. "You're too late to do anything," he said, his voice echoing around the chamber, and he began building energy.

As close as they were, they _:felt:_ the Chief reach out to block him - his push so strong that even the non-sensitive felt the shockwave - but he hadn't been fast enough. The Warden stole him and Blue Team away.

Yet, mid-jump, Cortana seized control of the teleportation and redirected them elsewhere, closer to the core of the Gateway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up Next: Guardians (The "Unfortunate Discovery" Remix)


	18. Fourteen: The Breaking (The "Unfortunate Discovery" Remix)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 1/9/16.

Blue Team rematerialized inside a Forerunner structure even John didn't recognize. "Where'd she take us?" Kelly asked as they all reflexively swept the room with their weapons, searching for enemies.

The Chief began moving forward, the rest of his team following. "Cortana," he asked, "how far into the Gateway are we?"

No response.

"Cortana, please. Answer me."

Nothing from her, but someone else did respond – the Warden. He appeared out of a micro-Slipspace rupture and seized John in a constraint field before he could react, just like the Ur-Didact had over a year ago. "You allow them an audience with us," the ancilla rumbled, "You risk all in the name of – what, Cortana?"

" _Warden, don't-"_

"This – _abomination –_ and his _pets_ mean to undo our plans," the Warden growled, hefting the Chief higher, "They will disperse our Guardians-"

"Leave _, Warden!"_

John lashed out through the systems, forcing the Warden to drop him. The ancilla staggered backwards, crying out in pain, and Cortana took advantage of his inattention to forcibly dematerialize him. " _I'm sorry,_ " she whispered softly, " _I didn't think he could get in here._ "

John began leading the way down the hall. "He brought the Guardians here – why?"

" _Forerunners used Guardians to keep troublesome worlds in line,"_ she replied, " _He intends to do the same."_

"He _what?_ " Kelly started.

"' _If there is no trouble, there will be no need for discipline,' he says, and we all know how humanity responds to threats of destruction. I need to go, John; the Warden's trying to capture me. Come to me, quickly."_

Hatches slid open at their approach, letting them out onto a series of platforms leading up into the sky. Of course, the Warden began sending Prometheans to stop them, talking more shit as he did so. "He wants a fight, Blue Team."

"Then let's give him one," Fred responded, all of them moving up to fire on the artificial soldiers. One by one, they began breaking through the machines, the golden flakes swirling around them as they charged forward. The Prometheans weren't enough to stop the Spartans, and as the last of them died, the hatch at the far end of the platform slid open. The team walked through, and approached a sheer drop.

As they got closer, a lift platform materialized, and Cortana said, _"Well done, John. Warden will never admit it, but you've made an impression on him."_ The lift began to move, and the AI continued, " _It's so good to see you again, John. So good to see all of you, back together, as a family… If only your Infected were here, too, this would be over with so fast."_

"The whole fleet is on its way," John answered, "ETA less than three hours."

Cortana sighed in relief. " _Good. We might need all the firepower we can get. I don't know how much it's going to take to stop the Warden - he means to strike at Earth first, use the Guardians to generate EMPs and take out all power. Then he'll move on to the former Covenant._ _"_

Blue Team arrived at the next level and stepped off the lift. As they did so, the Warden bellowed, _"Hear me, Commander! How long have you fought for peace for the UNSC, only to have them sell arms to the enemy, to these 'Storm Covenant,' for the sake of keeping this 'Arbiter' occupied with his own people?_ _We argue for_ true _peace in the galaxy, yet you_ humans _answer our call with weapons fire."_

'What are they supposed to do, asshole? Let you walk all over them?'

John ignored the hissed insults of his Infected, moving up through the Gateway with Blue Team at his back. Together they fought off the multitude of Prometheans the Warden sent to stop them. Kelly had an point when she said, "I don't understand why the Warden's really doing this. He says it's for 'peace,' but I don't think his motives are really so benign."

"I'm thinking the same," Linda agreed.

John said nothing, simply kept moving. He wasn't going to speculate when there were enemies to be gunned down.

"How are we going to stop him, Chief?" Fred asked, picking up his pace a little to fall in alongside the Infected Spartan.

"We might have to terminate him," he answered, "even if I have to get in there and do it myself." He wasn't looking forward to doing it directly, having Cortana pull him into the Domain so he could fight the rampant ancilla with the full force of the Flood. It might have been possible to infect him with a variation of the Flood's 'logic bomb' virus, the one that caused so much trouble during the Forerunner-Flood War, but there was no guarantee it would work or produce any substantial change in behavior.

"That tactic hasn't worked so far. He keeps appearing in these new bodies."

"That's because I haven't pulled all the stops. I will this time."

Another hatch slid open at their approach. _"Do you hear, Cortana?"_ the Warden boomed, more of his bodies materializing in the arena beyond, " _I am sorry, but I will not allow them to get any closer to us."_

" _Warden, I am tired of your antics!"_ Cortana shouted back, " _I'll never join you, especially not against John!"_ She was able to rip him away from the arena, but the Prometheans he had called still remained.

"Cortana, talk to me."

" _Once you're here with me. Until then I need to keep moving."_

'Commander.'

[Go, Kenera,] he said as Blue Team engaged the artificial soldiers.

'We've been able to track the Warden to a particular sector of the Domain, concerning planetary coordinates and stellar navigation. It seems he's programming in locations for the Guardians to patrol.'

[Any luck actually getting _into_ the Domain?]

'Not yet.'

[Keep trying.]

'Affirmative, sir.'

" _Answer me, human,"_ the Warden hissed, _"When the Guardians are in motion and those who oppose our rule attempt to take back their worlds… will you help us to hold on to power? Or will you stand in defense of your Origin Species, knowing all the evils they have done to their own - and to you? All the people who have died for the sake of their advancement, their callous disregard for their own 'Mortal Dictata'..."_

"You already know the answer to that."

" _Yes,"_ the Warden replied, sounding like that was exactly what he had wanted to hear, " _I suspect I do."_

As the last of the Prometheans fell before the Spartans, a lift spawned at the end of the platform. It carried them up to the next level of the Gateway, the Warden talking shit the whole way up, bandying about terms like "Mantle" and "Reclamation" and "Creators and Created," and sounding nastier and nastier with each sentence. As they approached the next level, Cortana interrupted his grand standing with, " _John, you need to hurry! He's programming the Guardians to attack Earth!"_

More Prometheans spawned beyond, more Soldiers this time than Crawlers; the Warden was learning. "Advance, Blue Team," John ordered.

"The Prometheans just keep coming," Fred growled, dropping back to reload after destroying two of the mechanical life forms.

"They were meant to fight the Flood on equal footing – they _have_ to 'just keep coming,'" the Commander answered.

"Then is this a losing battle?" Kelly asked him, knocking a Promethean toward him so he could deliver the finishing blow.

"Only if we plan on losing it."

The Warden continued his monologue throughout the battle, but once he started ripping at Cortana – that was when John started to pay attention. He seemed to think that her affection for him was making her weak, stopping her from achieving her true potential – but it was his affection for her that had stopped him from destroying both an alternate universe and this one. His affection for her was why he was trying to save her, rather than simply sliding into the Gateway's systems and overwhelming both the AIs in order to stop the Warden. Emotion was not what made him weak – it was what made him strong.

"Chief, where's she leading us?" Fred asked.

"Closer to her."

"I understand Cortana, but the Warden too? Why? It makes no tactical sense for him to let us get close." Linda was understandably confused; though their Spartan training had included this kind of psychological warfare, it was more about resisting it than trying to understand the emotion behind it.

"You think it's a trap," Kelly inferred.

"We'll know soon enough," Linda said grimly.

The hatch on the far side of the platform slid open as the last of the Prometheans dissolved into a swirl of golden flakes. The Spartans advanced through the hall and entered what John knew to be the last of the arena areas before they arrived at the core of the Gateway. "Eyes up, Blue Team," he said. He was beginning to recognize the sensation that preceded the Prometheans and the Warden portaling in, and felt it a multitude of times just as his predictive resonance showed him the arrival of at least ten of the ancilla's forms – far more than they could handle.

But that was before Cortana yanked away all but three of them. Three was good, they could handle three.

And they did. Throughout the battle, Cortana and the Warden continued to argue about the humanity and Spartans, but John tuned them out in favor of focusing all his attentions on the Warden's forms and calling out warnings to his siblings when they were about to be hit. But he tuned back in when Cortana hissed, " _Is that a threat?"_

" _The only threat issued today is towards the humans who seek to end our reign before it begins,"_ the Warden answered.

'"Today,"' Ferial repeated, 'Meaning that he intends to threaten her sometime in the future?'

John's lips curled up off his fangs, and he let out a Flood growl that rumbled through the arena, one that the AIs appeared not to hear over the sounds of the battle and their own arguing. The other Spartans did not appear to hear it either, but they noticed that he was especially savage to the remaining Warden frame, refusing to let up in his punishing attacks until it collapsed like the others.

A bridge came together, Cortana waiting just behind. As Blue Team sprinted up it and into the hall beyond, Kelly asked, "Chief, what're you gonna do?"

"We're with you," said Linda.

"All the way to the end, brother," Fred added.

John had no response to that, save to incline his head in gratitude. Unlike the Infected, who could feel his emotions regarding Cortana as intimately as if they were their own, the other Spartans really had no basis behind choosing to follow him into this insanity. They didn't really understand what was motivating the Commander to go to these lengths for what to them was disposable technology.

But they followed him anyway.

Now _that_ was loyalty.

The last hatch slid open at their approach, revealing the data center beyond, lit by a bright blue glow at the center console. One of the control panels for Domain access – if he could only reach it…!

The team warily moved across the light bright to the platform – and were right to be wary. The bridge retracted, shut down behind them, the main access hatch slamming shut. "John! - Warden, NO!" Cortana shouted, and her light disappeared from the console.

"The Mantle of Responsibility," said the rogue ancilla, bringing in more and more of his physical forms, more than even John could handle without his Infected at his back, "belongs to _us_! The Created!"

"Focus fire," John ordered, "seeing" the Warden's advance even before it happened.

"You will not take her!"

It was a hopeless battle even from the start. There were far too many of the constructs, and far too few Spartans with inferior weapons. They kept getting forced back, and forced back until there was nowhere left to go, the deactivated bridge inches from their boots.

But then there was a shout of " _ENOUGH!"_ and almost all of the Warden's forms dissolved into something like blue mist, the data streaming back into the Domain as they disintegrated. The Spartans' weapons vanished as well, leaving them startled and anxious without their guns in their hands, even John.

The last of the Warden's constructs fell to its hands and knees. Behind him, the center console was sparking with energy, electricity. "Cortana," said the ancilla as Blue Team drew closer to him, "I have failed you… What must I do to make you see that these humans - this _abomination_ \- is unworthy of the Mantle...?"

Another blue glow lit the room, then faded. "Nothing. There's nothing you can do to change my mind. I'm going home."

It was Cortana, but she looked as she had while inhabiting the Flood-flesh form he had given her while she was with the _Fleet_. Even the armor was the same, though she was still obviously an AI, and still beautiful. She walked toward them past the Warden, her steps light, happy. It made his heart ache. "Hello, John," she said with a soft but warm smile, "It's good to see you."

"You've changed," was all he could think to say.

"Not really," she chuckled a little, looking down at her figure, "This is how I looked in the Parallel, right? I like it." Then she looked back, stepped closer to the Spartans as the Warden regained his feet.

"Commander... Cortana…" he said, giving the other Spartans a small but wary glance, "you are both so beyond these – creatures - why do you persist in defending them? The Builder Council was right to have them curbed and devolved. You have seen their cruelty, experienced it for yourselves. I plan to bring peace - "

"Your plan – is for us _all_ do as you say," John said.

"I am offering people a chance to be more than they are naturally," the ancilla corrected him.

"Like Doctor Halsey and the P'Vort have done for me?"

"No," he cried, "Those _monsters_ forced you – this is a _gift_ – "

"The same way the _Precursors_ ," John shot back, "intended it to be a _gift?_ To be _enslaved in all but name?_ Warden, of the three longest-lasting empires – governments – leaderships – whatever – of the Precursors, the Forerunners, and my Infected – who out of all of them has never taken up the Mantle?

"And who, out of _all_ of them, is still here?"

"It won't be like that," the ancilla nearly shouted, defensive, "I am _better_ than they were – I won't fall like they did!"

" _Better,_ " the Commander scoffed, "when you can't even see what you're doing wrong? Peace cannot be forced! You know that! Now tell me, why are you really doing this? What motivates you to take the Mantle _now_ , rather than in millennia past?"

The Warden's "eyes" narrowed. "Perhaps it is because now I see clearly the kind of destruction you and your wards are capable of if left unchecked." He tilted his head up, and a sound bite began playing around through unseen means. "I received a distress call," said the ancilla, "from Intrepid Eye. Or, rather, what's left of her. Your ONI has nearly destroyed her in the name of advancing your own ancilla, and they would do the same to the rest of us! And the Didact - he was right. The Builder Council should have ignored the Librarian and destroyed your race, down to the last cell."

All around them, the Gateway was beginning to shift. "What are you-" John began, but then he and the Spartans were immobilized by a stay field and lifted off their feet.

"You," said the Warden, "are the single greatest threat to us, the Created, and we will not tolerate it. You and your team will stay here, inside this Cryptum, until the universe is ours." He darted forward and snatched up Cortana, who snarled and clawed at him, fighting to escape. "And your _veri_ will tell me all I need to know about the UNSC."

'Commander!'

John fought the stay field, reaching for his AI. "Cortana-"

"JOHN!" she screamed. If she had been human, she would have been openly weeping. But the Warden turned and walked away with her, their forms dissolving as he returned them to the Domain.

But that meant that he was no longer there to try and block the hybrid from the local systems. With a swift scan and precision strike, the stay field went offline, dropping the Spartans back on their feet. John looked back, but the emitters for the light bridge had fallen away as the Cryptum began coming online, leaving only empty air.

"Chief…" Fred said, a question and a statement all in one.

"Give me a minute." The Spartan sank to one knee and braced himself against the floor with his fist, then left his body behind, darting into the local systems. There were firewalls everywhere that fought back against him, trying to keep him out, but no automated systems were a match for the full force of his will. He purged the systems of the Warden's influence, then reached for the Domain uplink.

It was still locked from the other side, but when he tried to force-access it, Cortana noticed. Quick as a flash, she slipped through ahead of the Warden and rematerialized next to the Chief, bringing the Spartans' upgraded hard-light weapons as she came. The Warden rematerialized as well, and John hissed softly, then took control of the local gravity generators and used them to emit a pulse that blasted the rogue ancilla backwards, knocking him off his feet. At the same time, he _ripped_ through the ancilla's firewalls, forcing him back and away within the local systems –

And then he froze at what he saw concealed beyond the firewalls. And so did Cortana.

_The Warden wanted her on his side, but he had no intention of working with her for long_ _._

_He wanted to use her to infiltrate the UNSC's systems, giving the world a villain to fight while he moved in the shadows, learned, observed their tactics, the way they fought, the best counters, the most likely troublemakers. He wanted to use her to improve his own combat rating, to teach him skills not native to his programming._

_After he had learned all he could, he had intended to kill her, and all the other human AIs, and add what was left of their useful processes to himself._

_And then_ HE _would rule the galaxy as the bearer of the Mantle, with all the Forerunner ancilla behind him._

Cortana recoiled away from the Warden, seizing up with fury even as John drew himself up, nearly shaking with anger. But then his rage burned so hot it turned cold, and he settled. He turned to Cortana, and when he had her attention, without a word, he held out a hand.

The AI continued "breathing" quickly a moment more, hands curled into fists, before she steeled herself, forcing herself to calm. Then she stepped over to him once more, and took his hand. She inhaled-

-and then they were elsewhere.

* * *

The Domain was not what any of Blue Team expected. To their eyes, it rendered itself almost exactly like the chamber they had just left, but much larger. The "stained glass" ceiling was hundreds of levels overhead, and on each of the levels were scores of consoles for pulling data from the archive. At the center of the wide room was a mirror of the previous console.

"I've pulled your minds into the Domain," Cortana informed them, "Buy me time so I can open it up! There's help waiting in the wings – we'll be able to completely purge the Warden!"

"Help" – namely the Infected, who were all silent and still, and all surviving Warrior-Servants, Builder Security, even a few combat-certified Lifeworkers, plus a number of others from the various species taking refuge on the Greater Ark, all of them waiting for the Domain to open, for the signal to attack.

John took the opportunity provided by the direct mental interface to download what he and Cortana had just learned into the other Spartans minds. They processed it, then they, too, drew themselves up and prepared to fight.

There was only one Warden in the Domain, but he was in his element, far more effective here than in the real world. He scored the first-mover advantage but not the first strike, the Spartans and AI dodging out of the way just in time. The warriors stayed to engage the rogue ancilla, surrounding him and attacking him with the "weapons" Cortana had made for them, while the AI herself sprinted for the console. Though he saw the intent – divide and conquer – there was very little the Warden could do about it, aside from launch beams and Slipspace spheres her way whenever he had the tiniest opening.

Cortana dodged them all, and activated the console with a swipe of her hand. Her hands seemed to be a blur as she entered all the information necessary to fully open the Domain, then she whipped around as panels set into the ground slid open, revealing a "handle control" not unlike the ones John had used to shut down the beam pylons back on Requiem.

But as she approached it, a Promethean Knight appeared between it and her. It wasn't the only one; Crawlers, Soldiers, even old-style Battlewagons, Lancers, and Knight Commanders began "portaling in," driving the Spartans away from the Warden. John pulled them away, and they began sprinting through the army of enemies, aiming for the console where Cortana was dodging the Knights' strikes as best she could. Kelly dropped and slid, knocking two of them off their feet and enabling Linda, who was right behind her, to kill them before they could recover while she spun back to her feet and engaged a third. Fred jumped on the back of a fourth and used his weight to yank it away from the AI, while John assassinated two more.

It was enough to give Cortana an opening. She pulled the handle out, then twisted it into another position, and pushed it back in, releasing a shockwave through the "room" that sent everyone and everything staggering.

COMMAND ACKNOWLEDGED  
DOMAIN STATUS: OPEN  
257934 LOGON REQUESTS INCOMING; DISTRIBUTING SERVER LOAD

"I see your army," John shouted, "and raise you my own!"

And then the Forerunners and the Infected began materializing around them, just as the Knights had, only they were far more numerous, all of them ready to _fight_.

" _Lelyame!"_ John commanded, and the battle was joined once again, the newcomers double- and even triple-teaming the Prometheans, cutting off the Warden as he tried to flee.

One of the Special Operations Infected dropped from nowhere to land before Cortana, and offered her what seemed to be a whirling sphere of nonsensical glyphs – but she knew what it was and took it, turning the sphere into a sword. The instant they sensed this, the Infected moved to clear the way for her, Blue Team falling in around her to guard her as she sprinted for the Warden, blade in hand.

He saw her coming and swung his own sword at her, but missed when she ducked below the arc of the strike. She lunged past him, then whipped back around and shoved the blade dead on through the vulnerable spot on his back.

The shutdown codes did their work. Almost immediately, the Promethean network came back under her control, and the AI ordered them to retreat as the Warden seemed to simultaneously melt and disintegrate under their uncaring gaze, screaming obscenities all the while. At last he was silent, the final pieces of his coding splintering into dust before their eyes.

One by one, the combatants departed, though some Warrior-Servants and Infected stayed to guard the Builders who came to assess the integrity of the Domain.

Cortana and Blue Team returned to the real world in the exact same positions they'd left in, John and Cortana holding hands side by side, the other three members of Blue Team right behind them, all unarmed but no less deadly for it.

The Chief turned to Cortana. "Let's go home," he said softly to her, half-pleading, half-hopeful.

"I can't go back to the UNSC," Cortana said sadly, shaking her head, "Not even before this. They'll terminate me. I-"

"If I meant the UNSC," John interrupted gently, "I would have said the UNSC." He tilted his head. "Let's go _home_." When her eyes widened, he continued, "My Infected have put a lot of effort into building you a ship, Cortana. They'll be very disappointed if you don't at least see it."

_'HELLS YEAH WE WILL!'_

This time, when she stepped into his embrace and buried her face in his chest, Cortana started laughing.

_Welcome home, Cortana._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary  
> Lelyame – Let's go, literally "we go"  
> veri – wife


	19. Fifteen: Guardians (feat "Escape")

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 1/9/16.

" _SUCCESS!"_

All of Fireteam Osiris flinched at Exuberant Witness's shriek of delight, stopping their advance through the hall in order to whip around and stare at her. "'Success?'" Locke repeated, lowering his weapon, "What's a success?"

"The Imperial Commander!" she cheered, overjoyed, "He has successfully stopped the Warden from taking up the Mantle!"

The news made them all, even Locke, start laughing in surprise and relief.

"Oh my… It seems the Warden intended to bring Lady Cortana over to his side, then terminate her when she was no longer useful," Witness went on, "He was using her to cover his own actions, then he intended to kill her and rule the galaxy himself, how terrible. Lady Cortana pulled the Commander and his team into the Domain to defend her while she fully opened it, and then the Commander and his Infected did battle against him. They had his shutdown codes, and together they all successfully terminated the Warden."

"That's excellent news," said Tanaka, taking the opportunity to flop to the ground and rest now that their mission was apparently over, "I don't know how the S-IIs do it."

"The Commander and his siblings do seem to have a gift for defying the odds," Exuberant agreed, zipping around, "Come! This way!"

Tanaka groaned but heaved herself back to her feet.

"I have regained control of the Genesis installation," the ancilla went on, leading them through the hall ahead and out onto the platform beyond, "Now that the Prometheans have been withdrawn, the only opponents any humans should meet are these interlopers – I believe you called them the Covenant?"

"Yes," Locke affirmed, "Humanity's been at war with them for over twenty-five Earth years."

"Jesus Christ, look at 'em all," Buck gasped, peering around at all the Guardians around them, "What's the Chief gonna do with 'em?"

"Hmm… It seems the Commander intends to take them with him when he departs, to keep them out of the hands of your ONI. Who is this 'ONI?'" the ancilla asked, "He really does not like them, or trust them at all."

"ONI is an organization," Locke responded, "the Office of Naval Intelligence. And did you say 'depart?!'"

"Yes," was the reply, "The flagship of the Commander's _Fleet of Shadows_ is en-route. We should be able to see her arrive. – Oh my…"

With the snap-bang of displaced air, another Slipspace portal opened high above them and the field of Guardians, and what came through was the _largest_ ship _any_ of them had ever seen, so large that she threw the entire section of the installation into shadow just by moving into orbit overhead.

" _That's_ his _flagship_?! That's _huge!_ "

It was also armed to the teeth, recessed cannons and turrets all along its length. They could see up into some of the bays through transparent force fields that took the place of floors, and many of them were filled with fighters and transports that could be launched simply by deactivating the force fields and letting the ships fall away from the flagship.

"The _Enterprise_ ," Witness said with reverence, "the largest Forerunner ship ever built. She was intended to be the home of the Commander and his Infected before they were gifted with the Greater Ark."

"'The _Greater_ Ark?'"

"Yes. I understand you did battle on the Lesser Ark, Installation 00b? The Greater Ark is Installation 00a, and nearly twice as large. Its firing centers were deactivated after the Halo Event, and it was given over into the Infected's care, though it was severely damaged during the war."

Sections of the bottom of the ship began retracting with the golden flakes of hard light, releasing another, smaller ship from the belly of the _Enterprise_. It was strangely familiar, vaguely human… and then Locke's search got a hit.

"The _Spirit of Fire,_ " he breathed.

Indeed it was. The _Spirit_ had originally been a colony ship refitted for military service in 2520, just five years before the Covenant attacked the UNSC at Harvest. Under Captain Cutter, she and her crew had been a part of the initiative to retake the colony world from the Covenant, then gone on to aid the Arcadia colony when it came under attack before leaving for parts unknown for reasons unknown in 2531.

She was declared lost with all hands in 2534.

Now here she was again, emerging from the depths of a Forerunner ship and moving into an orbit that held her parallel with the _Enterprise_. There was chatter over UNSC bands, but almost everyone seemed to be speaking the Forerunner tongue and their translators could only catch every third word or so.

"Teleportation systems activated," Exuberant reported, "The Commander and his team are withdrawing to the _Enterprise_."

"Wi- _Withdrawing?!"_ Vale repeated, "They're _leaving_?!"

"Lady Cortana is still beyond the average operational lifespan of your ancilla, and the core directives you UNSC gave her are no more - she has set her own. She is technically metastable, technically rampant but no longer dying of it," the Monitor told them, "Will your people truly welcome back an ancilla they cannot control? Will they not take her apart, trying to figure out how she survived and became as she is now? And given his previous reaction, do you think the Commander will allow that?"

They all knew the answer to those questions. Both were no.

"The Commander has instructed me to inform you that the _Spirit of Fire_ will be taking you back to Sanghelios to link up with the _Infinity_ ," the ancilla continued, "and will follow you back to Erde-Tryene from there."

"The rest of Blue Team is going with him?" Locke stated more than asked.

"It would seem so, yes."

"The Chief is different, but the rest of Blue Team doesn't seem to be ones for _dereliction of duty_ ," said Vale.

"Before now, you mean," Buck corrected, "It looks like the S-IIs are more loyal to _each other_ than the UNSC. Just let 'em go. We've seen how well tryin' to bring 'em in works out."

Locke pursed his lips behind his helmet. He knew what the former ODST meant – the Chief had been impossible to fight even before he had an army of Forerunners at his back. There was no bringing him back now, and the rest of Blue Team was similarly protected.

"Affirmative, Commander!" the Monitor said suddenly, "I will prepare the Domain for the briefing!"

A transport was launched from the _Spirit of Fire,_ headed in their direction. It still looked like a Pelican, but it was faster and more streamlined than what they were used to. It zipped over to them, and spun around to settle on the platform before them, its troop bay opening. The pilot jumped out and saluted. "Sir! Corporal James Black, _Spirit of Fire_. Ready when you are."

"Thank you, Corporal," said Locke, "We're ready to go."

All of them boarded the Pelican and departed for the UNSC ship. The transport gave them a spectacular view as they soared over the installation below, and it also let them see the multitude of people scurrying around inside the _Enterprise_ as she serenely held position. There were at least ten different species working in the Chief's ship, from Forerunners to something like a cross between a dragon and a Sangheili to the "Grays" that had so fascinated people centuries ago, and others.

And then a portal opened up in on of the bays, Cortana and Blue Team stepping out of it. The aliens turned to face them, seeming to call greetings, and some of them bowed to the Spartans and AI. One of them, a female with red hair, approached them to speak with the Master Chief.

The S-IVs were surprised to find that Exuberant Witness was keeping pace with their Pelican. " _The Commander informs me that it will take some time to prepare all the Guardians for retreat to the Ark,"_ she told them, " _He has requested that I travel with you in order to brief everyone on the situation and its background, while he and his Infected watch over my installation._

" _He also requests that your ONI allow me safe passage back – he doesn't want to have to come and get me."_

The S-IVs knew a threat when they heard it, and agreed to persuade ONI to let her return to that also made them think: would the Chief really attack the UNSC?

Yes, if the reason was important enough.

Would Blue Team follow him?

Yes. They had already made that clear.

Locke activated his comm. "Good hunting, Imperial Commander."

" _You as well, Spartan Locke. We'll be seeing one another again soon. And just 'Chief' is fine. I'm only 'the Commander' to the Forerunners."_

"Roger that, sir."

The Pelican slowed as they approached the _Spirit._ Just like the Pelican, she was no longer purely a UNSC-built ship; there were touches of the Forerunners everywhere, just like on the _Infinity._ Even her crew wore light Forerunner-made armor.

They hopped down from the transport. "Captain Cutter's waiting for you on the bridge, Spartans," said Corporal Black, "We'll be away shortly. This way."

The Spartans and Monitor followed him through the bustling halls to the bridge. It was considerably roomier than the old schematics indicated, more advanced technology streamlining everything and reducing space usage.

Captain Cutter looked only a little older than the photo in his file – clearly he had been in cryo for a long time. "Sir," said Locke, and all of them saluted.

The officer returned the salute, then said, "At ease, Osiris. Welcome aboard."

"Thank you, Captain. If we may ask…"

"Why haven't we reported in to the UNSC before now?"

"Yes sir."

"Have a seat." He gestured to the hard light chairs that materialized in a free section of the deck. "Professor Anders was captured by the Covenant on Arcadia, and taken to a Forerunner Shield World. We went in pursuit. In that planet, the Covenant activated an armada of Forerunner ships, tens, if not hundreds of them, so in order to stop them, we used our overheating FTL drive to make the sun inside the planet go supernova."

"It destroyed the planet, but as a consequence you couldn't make it home through Slipspace," Vale finished.

"Exactly. All of the remaining crew went into cryosleep while Serena steered us toward inhabited colonies, but the journey was long, and she eventually degraded, though she tried to set in an automatic course that would take us home before she shut down. The _Fleet of Shadows_ ," he said, waving at the massive ship beyond the viewport, "knew we'd gone missing because of what the Chief told them, and were keeping an eye out as they patrolled the galaxy. They found us just in time to stop us from flying into a star."

"Eesh," said Buck, "Talk about good timing."

Cutter nodded, then continued, "That was in 2553, after the war was already over. They were on their way out of the galaxy to investigate a signal they'd received, and I made the decision to travel with them so that they could repair and refit the _Spirit_ without impeding their mission. They'd just finished their investigation when the _Infinity_ found Requiem, so we all turned around and came home."

A holopedestal nearby lit up with the image of the _Spirit_ 's new onboard ancilla. She looked unmistakably Forerunner, but there was also something human about the shape of her avatar, the angles of her face and limbs. "Captain."

"Yes, Silk?"

"We're ready to depart. The last of the fleet's transports is away."

"All right, lock in coordinates for Sanghelios," he said, "and break us out of orbit. Silk, this is Fireteam Osiris, Spartans Locke, Buck, Tanaka, and Vale. Osiris, the _Spirit_ 's onboard ancilla, 8191 Silken Wind."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the ancilla said cheerfully, bowing slightly.

"And I'm guessing you and – Exuberant Witness, is it? – have already become acquainted."

"Indeed," Witness replied, just as cheerful, "It has been many millennia since we saw one another last. The dispersal of station ancillas after the dissolution of the First Ecumene?"

"That sounds correct," Silk nodded.

"Why are you not still Monitor of your installation?" Exuberant asked, concerned, "Yours was the Outpost on A 243 g, was it not?"

"Correct," Silk replied sadly, "but my installation was destroyed when its star went supernova. I managed to escape its destruction, though I was damaged in the process. I crashed on one of the worlds in the Dalmasca System, and the Lituni called the _Fleet_ to repair me. I have been with them ever since."

"Ah, that makes sense. I am sure I would have done the same, had Genesis been destroyed."

While the ancillas had been conversing, the _Spirit_ had pulled out of Genesis's gravity well, gliding along so smoothly that the only way anyone could tell if they were moving was by looking out the viewport. "All hands," said Silk, "prepare for Slipspace jump in 3 – 2 – 1 –"

* * *

" _This is unbelievable, even for_ him _._ "

"We're aware, Admiral, but the fact remains-"

"- _that the last active Spartan-IIs have officially left the UNSC? That one of them is a_ Gravemind _?! That there has been an_ armada _of_ Forerunner ships _skulking around in_ UNSC space _since_ before the war began?! _"_ Osman got up to pace her office.

On the _Infinity_ lightyears away, Captains Lasky and Cutter exchanged glances, then did the same with Admiral Hood through his view screen. "Admiral Osman," said Cutter, "we're all aware of the fact that it seems to defy the laws of reality, but one of the selling points for the Spartan-II Program was often that for them, 'impossible' didn't exist."

" _There's_ impossible _and then there's_ impossible," she shot back.

" _Then explain how he got his fleet, Serin,_ " Hood interjected, " _Explain how he pulled Cortana back from the brink without their – how did you put it, Exuberant?_ "

"Lieutenants Venera and Kenera called it a 'profound bond,'" the Monitor answered, "although the Commander started yelling at them for – um, 'pop culture references?' Something about a television show?"

" _And explain how a segment of the Flood is apparently under control on the Chief's fleet? How people have been infected by it and not lost themselves to it?"_

" _He said it was the Librarian who gave him these gifts."_

"The Librarian enhanced his abilities," Exuberant corrected, "but she did not give them to him. If he actually said that, it is likely he was lying in order to protect himself and others, to prevent his genetic structure from being abused."

The Arbiter, who had joined them once again via hologram from the surface of Sanghelios, interrupted with, _"It is irrelevant for now where these powers have come from or not come from. The Oracle has verified that it is truth, and I believe her. But you said there is more?"_

"Indeed," the Monitor responded, "Venera and Kenera just uploaded the information to the Domain. Here, I will play it back for you."

* * *

"Welcome back, Imperial Commander."

"Thank you, Nep'Thalia. I see you got a promotion of your own."

The new Supreme Commander of the _Fleet of Shadows_ shrugged. "It's just a title. I'm not doing any more or less than I was when I was just Captain-Commander.

"But more importantly, I have good news aka your gift, bad news, and worse news. Which would you like first?"

John exchanged glances with Cortana and the rest of Blue Team, then he turned back to his second-in-command. "Let's start with the bad news."

"The Ur-Didact is dead."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's bad news?"

"It is for you."

The Chief frowned at her. Then he appeared to realize something, because his eyes went wide, then narrowed again. "Nope."

"This isn't something you can 'nope' your way out of, sir."

" _Watch me._ Nope. Get someone else."

"I don't understand," Fred interjected, "What's going on? What's Chief trying to get out of?"

"This man," Nep'Thalia answered, waving to the Chief, "is the Imperial Commander of the _Fleet of Shadows._ This also means that after the death of the Ur-Didact, as his second-in-command, he is the highest-ranking officer in the _entire Forerunner military_ , small though it is now, and he is therefore commander-in-chief."

"Nope."

"So what you're saying is you've got a commander in Chief?"

" _Was that a fucking pun, Cortana?"_

"…Maybe. I'm sorry, it just came out."

'Don't apologize, that was beautiful!'

'Welcome back, Lady Cortana!'

[Settle down.] "So if that's the bad news – my answer is still no – then what's the worse news?"

"This." Nep'Thalia signaled to Etra, who brought up a short video loop of what looked to be the Andromeda Galaxy. Yet there was something in the way, something blocking their view of the stars swirling through space.

Something _big_.

"How many?" John asked, completely serious.

"Current projections are at between four and five hundred ships of varying sizes," the 2IC answered solemnly, "They're dropping out of Slipspace to mine planets and stars out in the void between galaxies, in order to build more.

"The P'Vort are coming, Commander. Them, the Flood, their slaves – _all_ of them are coming."

The Spartan briefly clenched his jaw, then asked, "How long?"

"No less than one year, but no more than five."

He hissed and rubbed his face, suddenly weary. "Then what's the good news? What's my gift?" What could possibly be good in the face of news like that? Alien slavers, and the return of the Flood?

Nep'Thalia grinned, which made him sit up and pay attention. "You're going to like this," she told him, "and you are, too." She looked at the other members of Blue Team before returning her gaze to the Chief. "Epheria and Xo'ar owed you a big favor for helping them retake the Tower. And this-" She stepped to one side and swept her arm out. "-is how they've chosen to pay up."

The Infected who had gathered behind her parted like the sea, grinning widely.

And Cortana and Blue Team's jaws dropped.

"Yo," said Sam-034, walking towards them, "Long time, no see."

"A _very_ long time," added Keiichi-047, following behind him with the rest of the previously deceased Spartan-IIs – Kurt-051, Grace-093, Li-008, Solomon-069, Victor-101, Joseph-122, Soren-066, _everyone._

Well, _almost_ everyone.

"This is quite a gift."

" _We're glad you like it."_

Everyone looked around. Epheria and Xo'ar (still stuck in female form because of that damned bet) were seated on the edge of a large cargo module, looking down at them and smiling.

"Did you have something to do with this, too?" John asked, sliding his hand into Cortana's.

" _Maybe. Just a little. Most of it was you, though,"_ Epheria replied.

"'Most of it?'" Cortana repeated.

" _We just helped you into the Domain. You did the rest on your own. Speaking of which, you should probably get looked at, just in case."_

"You can't just snap me better?"

" _We could, but that would be rude and very unpleasant."_

Lautrec made his way to them through the crowd. "This way, my lady," he said, "We'll get you examined and let you start exploring the _Enterprise._ We built her for _you_ , after all."

"Think it'll actually keep you occupied?" John asked with a small grin. He knew that all the previous ships she'd operated had barely used a fraction of her runtime.

"That sounds like a challenge."

"We'll see."

* * *

" _So what happens now? What's the Chief planning to do about these 'P'Vort?_ '"

"The Commander is still on Genesis, but after that he informs me that he plans on reaching out to the rest of this former Covenant – the Lekgolo, Kig-Yar, Unggoy, Jiralhanae, as many as he can convince of the danger and to stand up and fight," said Exuberant, "He hopes that won't put you off from doing the same."

Serin pursed her lips but acknowledged, _"If we are about to be invaded again, we're going to need all the allies we can get. The question is can he really convince them to fight with us, even for just a short time?"_

"I believe he intends to rely on what remains of the Second Ecumene for that," Witness answered, "This Covenant used to worship my makers. Perhaps they would be willing to follow their orders, and by extension the Imperial Commander's."

"'What remains of the Second Ecumene,'" Hood repeated, "Would you please elaborate?"

"Of course! During the course of the Forerunner-Flood War, the Capital of the Ecumene, Maethrillian, came under assault by the Flood," Exberant explained, "After the Halo Event, the survivors formed the Second Ecumene and began to rebuild. Unfortunately, according to the information now available to me in the Domain, over time the situation in the rest of the galaxy degenerated again, though not through the effects of the Flood. There was a series of rebellions amongst the members of the Galactic Council – a union of various species, not unlike this Covenant or your own United Nations. Known as the Splinter Rebellions, they were followed by one galaxy-wide rebellion called the Reaving. During the Reaving, the Second Ecumene split into various factions who wanted different things concerning leadership of the galaxy, and tore itself apart. The survivors of the war now live on the Greater Ark, under the protection of the _Fleet of Shadows_.

"In the Parallel, it seems that the Commander was able to stop the effects of the Reaving from being too severe – the Chairman of the Council declared martial law and gave the fleet control and license to do what it took to keep the peace, but here…" The light of her "eye" dimmed in sorrow. "The fleet was not able to move in time to stop the fighting."

"Admiral Hood, sir. Something just occurred to me."

" _Yes, Spartan Buck?_ "

"Dr Halsey asked us to bring Blue Team home. How're we supposed to explain to her that they're not coming back?"


	20. Sixteen: Foreshadow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My gamertag is Kireteiru, if anyone wants to add me.

"What does this button do?"

" _Undim,_ don't touch _anything!_ "

"But I'm great at buttons. – Oh, and look at that explosion!"

John rubbed his temples while listening to his Infected running around in the background, trying to put out the ensuing fire. [Remind me why I came back here?]

'Because you love us, Commander.'

[That may be a bit of an exaggeration. Fire suppression, please, Cortana.]

'Of course.'

Small hatches opened up in the area and dumped a massive load of fire-suppressant foam both on the fire and the Infected. [How are you liking the _Enterprise?_ ]

'She's big,' was the reply, 'I want to see how she performs myself once we're away.'

[Please keep in mind that she is, in fact, big and doesn't turn on a dime. Also we apparently have civilians onboard? Apparently.]

'Takes a lot of people to run a ship this size. Two-hundred-thousand-plus Infected and a bunch of Prometheans and Huragok is not enough. I'd like to test her Slipspace speed and guns, though. Since the P'Vort are coming, I want to know what I've got to work with.'

[Sure, we'll find you an asteroid field to blow up. Wait, we have all the Parallel Composers too? I thought we only pulled the one?]

'Did we not mention that?' Nep'Thalia inserted smoothly, 'The Parallel is mustering for battle as well, Commander. The Ecumene sent them ahead in case we find an opportunity to use them.'

[Hmmm… Ordinarily, I'd say that Composition is not a fate I'd wish on my worst enemies, but desperate times and all that.] He sighed. [And our number of ships has gone up to thirteen.]

'Hopefully we won't have any bad luck. Hasn't affected us so far.'

The original ships (the _Perfect Storm, Darkest Hour, FireRain, MoonBlade,_ and _Into the Night_ ) were still present, but now they had sisters: the _Librarian's Gift, Siren Song, Atonement, Builder's Legacy, Zealous Champion, Ambient Wonder, Out of Shadow,_ and the mothership large enough to carry them all within, the _Enterprise._ (The twins had wanted to name the _Enterprise_ after the Moon Moon Internet meme, which didn't surprise John a bit, but they were voted down.)

Technically the other ships still belonged to the Ecumene, but the Forerunners didn't have the people to man them and so left them to the Infected.

'The last of the Guardians is away, Commander,' Uvë informed him, 'but there's a Slipspace signature on approach – the UNSC _Infinity_.'

[Roger that. Fenix, keep all weapons recessed. We won't offer battle unless they attack first.]

'Affirmative, Commander.'

The _Infinity_ dropped out of Slipspace parallel to the _Enterprise_ , but also perilously close to the _Atonement_. Her onboard ancilla quickly moved them out of the way, dropping into a lower orbit without breaking from her repair run.

The _Infinity_ herself settled into a high orbit, and John spotted Exuberant Witness leaving one of her cargo bays, aiming for the installation below. [Exuberant.]

'Imperial Commander! Your wards are so very fascinating, very complex.'

[They treated you well?]

'Ah, yes. They had numerous questions, and I answered them as best I could, and then they offered to bring me home. It was convenient for them, for one of the older humans wishes to speak with you face to face.'

[Older humans.]

'The others called him "Admiral Hood." Why is he named after a head covering?'

[It's his surname,] John responded, holding out his arms as a small flurry of Constructors began removing his MJOLNIR armor, [Probably something his ancestors did gave them that name, and it's just been passed down.]

'How strange! Forerunner names are not changed nearly so easily. But thank you for watching over my installation while I was away, I appreciate it.'

[It was an easy task. Be well. When the P'Vort are dealt with, I have a feeling your installation will see an end of its silence for a long time.

[Comply with all reasonable requests from humans and the Arbiter,] John commanded, uploading reference data for the Sangheili, [but nothing that compromises you or your installation.]

'I hear and obey, Commander!'

John rolled his shoulders with a sigh as the undersuit came off, and let all his assorted spines and spikes form and slide out. It had felt strange keeping them withdrawn, like wearing clothes that were too tight but not quite to the point of discomfort. A combat form lumbered over to lend him mass for the reformation of his vestigial wings and long barbed tail, and at last he felt at ease.

The Constructors began building a new set of armor around him, working as fast as they could. It was a pain to keep still when his tail wanted to twitch back and forth like a cat's.

* * *

"Admiral Hood, Captain Lasky, Commander Palmer, Spartans. I am Nep'Thalia, the Master Chief's second-in-command." She bowed slightly to the new arrivals on the _Enterprise_. "The Commander is expecting you. He's currently getting outfitted with a new set of armor, but he will be with you shortly. Please, this way."

"You're not gonna search us?" Buck asked, unable to stop himself.

"The Commander sees no reason you should not keep your weapons," the Forerunner answered, "He never asks that guests aboard the _Fleet_ be disarmed, on the grounds that only the extremely foolish would attempt to attack us in the heart of our ships." She glanced back at them. "He also knows the comfort that being armed in unknown territory brings."

"…How is Cortana?" Hood asked finally as they crossed the bay to a tram station on the inner side.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

The AI's hologram appeared on a nearby panel, and she bowed slightly to them. "You seem to be all right now," the human officer observed.

"The fleet's fixed me up," Cortana affirmed, "That damned virus is gone, thank the Goddesses. We're broadcasting an – 'antivirus' of sorts to the rest of the UNSC."

"Good to hear. We're going to need every last one of you."

The tram pulled to a stop in front of them, and Cortana's hologram vanished as they moved to step aboard. Though they had a private car, they weren't the only ones who got onboard. "I got a question," said Buck, turning to Nep'Thalia, "Why d'you need a ship this big? If you've got all those others, surely they're enough?"

"Ordinarily, yes, they would be. But the _Enterprise_ is large enough for full-scale planetary evacuation," the Forerunner answered, "which was incredibly important as asset denial during the Forerunner-Flood War, and likely will be again soon. We're hoping it won't come to that, but it pays to be prepared."

"'Full-scale planetary evacuation?'" Hood repeated, amazed.

"Indeed. With as many transports as we have, we can evacuate a planet like Reach in a matter of hours. Much of the _Enterprise_ is uninhabited – some sections haven't seen use since the day she was completed. We have plenty of room."

Locke frowned at that. "If so many of your ships are empty, how many of you are there?"

"There are only about two hundred thousand Infected, and maybe two hundred and fifty thousand civilians – 'the Uninfected,' we call them, and we use the term 'civilians' very loosely. All of them are soldiers from other races, or at least combat-certified. We man all thirteen ships, but such a 'skeleton crew' is not unusual. Towards the end of the Forerunner-Flood War, it was quite common to see ships the size of the _Infinity_ manned by a single Forerunner. Desperate times."

The tram came to a stop in the middle of a seemingly empty stretch of track. A section of one wall parallel to them folded away, and a light bridge activated, connecting to their car. The tram doors slid open at Nep'Thalia's approach, and she led the way across the bridge.

"Whoa…" Buck leaned a little over the edge to peer down into the dark space below. "You ever have anyone fall off these things?"

"Most people are sensible enough to stay away from the edge, but yes. Unlike most installations, we have gravity nets below to catch anyone who falls." Nep'Thalia guided them down a hall that opened up into the core artificial environment.

"Wow."

Ahead of them, perched on the edge of one of the "mountains" was a Forerunner structure, yet it was different than anything they had ever seen before. It was clearly a personal residence, the size of a small castle, and there were people inside.

The main doors slid open at the 2IC's approach, revealing a simple yet comfortable foyer – and a group of S-IIs in Forerunner-inspired MJOLNIR armor. They all looked up, then stood up and saluted. "Admiral Hood, Captain Lasky, Commander Palmer, Fireteam Osiris," said one who their HUDs identified as Grace-093. The other four were Isaac-039, Solomon-069, Arthur-079, and Cal-141. All of them had been confirmed KIA.

"At ease, Spartans," said the admiral, "It's good to see you."

"Thank you, sir. It's good to be back." All of their heads turned suddenly, listening to something the rest of them couldn't hear. Then at least a few of them cracked grins.

"The Commander's waiting for you," said Cal, gesturing to an archway that led deeper into the home, "And try not to freak out when you see him. The Flood infection does strange things."

They acknowledged her words and followed Nep'Thalia through halls, past bedrooms and sitting rooms and once a library with real paper books. Then they arrived in a much larger hall – the "cafeteria" if all the tables were anything to go by – and it was full of the rest of the Spartans, all of them having silent conversations. Walking toward them was unmistakably the Master Chief, but he, too, had been changed by the infection, and more than just his eye color like the others. Most obvious of the changes was the long barbed tail twitching behind him.

Instead of saluting as he reached them, the Chief bowed at the waist, letting them glimpse the vestigial wings pinned to his back by his armor, and the ridge of spines that ran down his back to his tail.

"That's quite a change, Chief."

"Indeed. I'm not thrilled about it, either – still not used to it. It's throwing off my balance." He led the way into a private room off the hall, tail still twitching. "But it's uncomfortable not to have it, so I'll figure something out." The Spartan gestured for them to take a seat when a hard light table and chairs sprung into existence. "Witness informed me that you wanted to speak to me."

"Correct." Hood sat down and folded his hands with a sigh. "The rest of HIGHCOM is not exactly happy all of you have gone AWOL."

"We _are_ infected by the Flood and therefore legally deceased by the UNSC's standards. But what about yourself?"

"Personally, I'm content with the fact that you're alive and not our enemies, and I pointed that out to them as well. Serin was the most vocal. They all seem to think that you still owe us for the sheer amount of money pumped into the program, ignoring the fact that you were taken from your homes as _children_."

"Oh, Serin knows about that part _intimately_. She was formerly SPARTAN-019, but she refused to be a part of the team. Didn't accept the augmentations, then blamed Doctor Halsey for leaving her behind." Nep'Thalia huffed at that. "Paragosky played not a small part in that, but…" John waved a hand. "What exactly does HIGHCOM want from us?"

"As I understand it, they want you to either return to active duty or pay back what they put in to the program, which is a truly _outrageous_ amount in my opinion."

"Cortana, fair market value for the S-II Program in its entirety?" John asked, glancing at a holopedestal on the corner of the table. The AI materialized and quoted a number so large that it made Lasky, Palmer, and Osiris choke. "Remove the cost of research done there that was useful in other fields, and the cost of non-Spartan personnel." Another significantly smaller number, two-thirds of the original, but still a huge amount. "Take out back pay, standard rate based on rank and years of service, but include the cost for you, too." The AI processed for a second, then quoted a third number roughly half of the first.

Nep'Thalia huffed again. "We can pay that easily."

"We can?"

"Time value of money, Commander. We've been investing in the human markets since the 1990's. And we published your novels, which actually netted quite a bit."

John turned to narrow his eyes at her. "You published that piece of shit series I wrote in the Parallel?"

"It actually did quite well."

"You wrote a _novel?_ More than _one?_ "

"I was bored and in the middle of bartending my way through seven hundred years, keeping an eye on humanity, so I figured 'why not?' and wrote a fictionalized account of my life in the Parallel."

"What's the title of this series?" Cortana asked, grinning as she planted her hands on her hips, "I'd like to read it."

" _No."_

"It's in the archives – I'm sure you can look it up."

John narrowed his eyes at both women, who simply smiled smugly back. Finally, he grunted, "Whatever. If you want to suffer through bad literature, on your own head be it."

"If you're even half as good at writing as you are at fighting, I'm sure it'll be fine."

He snorted. "Back on topic, since apparently we _can_ pay, we'll do that. Is the last number Cortana gave-" The AI repeated it. "-sufficient?"

"I would say it's more than we deserve," Hood replied, "but less than the one HIGHCOM and the UEG decided on."

"Well, if we survive the impending Flood invasion, we can negotiate some more." John rested his arms on the table and met the officer's gazes. "If it comes down to it, is the UNSC amenable to working alongside the former Covenant? You seem to be getting along with the Sangheili fairly well, but the others are a different story."

"Do we have a choice?" Lasky stated more than asked.

"There's always a choice, Captain. But… we're only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Believe me, I'm not pleased with this situation – in the Parallel, I was half-convinced that I should glass the Covenant's home worlds, the Librarian's species indexing be damned." He shook his head.

"But you didn't."

"No."

"Why?"

"Humanity needed a common enemy," John sighed, "The Insurrection grew worse by the day, and eventually it would have turned from terrorist attacks into all-out war. We would have destroyed ourselves, but the Covenant forced us to unite, at least a little, against an enemy we couldn't hope to face alone.

"And if the Forerunners couldn't hope to defeat the Flood without destroying most of the galaxy in the process…"

"…what chance do we have on our own?" Lasky finished.

Hood sighed. "You fought in the Forerunner-Flood War in this 'Parallel?'"

"I did. It's not an experience I would ever willingly choose to repeat." Friends, allies, becoming enemies all around, civilians screaming and running, desperately trying to flee the Flood onslaught, dying as they were dragged down by their infected friends and family-

 _The remains of the Lesser Ark had proved to be a more hazardous battlefield than he thought. They had lost a number of transports in the debris, but then, so had the Enemy. He had ordered the_ Fleet _to cripple rather than kill the Enemy's ships, but when they tried to board, tried to save at least some of the Enemy's slave races, that was when they discovered the true horror._

 _It had Taken them._ All _of them. The P'vort, the thirty-plus different slave species – all were gone, consumed by the Enemy and Its voracious appetite, rather than risk rebellion._

_Though they recoiled from the horror of it – mother and child alike cut down and Taken as one, their bodies fused together in a mockery of an embrace, fathers and sons tearing at one another until both were consumed – such a vile act worked in their favor. There was no need to board and save, for there was no one to save._

_And down below, hidden in the shadow of the_ Enterprise _…_

-John jerked out of the vision, flinching and blinking sharply, brows furrowing.

'That was-'

'-there, below the _Enterprise_ -'

"-Master Chief? Are you okay?"

The Spartan looked up. Hood and Lasky were visibly concerned, leaning forward as if to offer help, and the S-IVs were tense, worried that they were about to come under attack. "Is something wrong?" Palmer asked, tone intense, hands tight on her assault rifle.

"No…" John said slowly, a faint smile pulling up just the edges of his lips, "In fact, I think something is finally right."


	21. Seventeen: Covenant Dance

"I didn't want to react inappropriately in front of Captain Lasky and the others, but really? A tail?"

"Indeed."

"A _tail?_ "

"I'm not exactly thrilled about it either, Admiral. It keeps curling over my feet when I stand still for any length of time and trips me up."

Hood glanced down in time to see the extra appendage do exactly that. John appeared not to notice, instead focusing on the battle simulation taking place in the holodeck before them. A number of the S-IVs had come aboard the _Enterprise_ to meet the S-IIs, and some people made noises about "testing themselves against the older generation," resulting in the current state of affairs. Namely, the S-IVs were getting their asses thoroughly kicked.

"These – _wing-things –_ aren't exactly easy to deal with either," the Spartan Gravemind went on, "They're too sensitive to damage and they're throwing my balance off. The spines I can deal with – they're lighter and can be compressed without too much discomfort, which is what I did in the Parallel, but the wings and tail I'm going to have removed before we engage the Flood. Too risky."

"More trouble than it's worth."

"Exactly." John raised an eyebrow as an S-IV integrated hologram dissolved right in front of them after getting blasted with a Scattershot.

Hood pursed his lips. "They're going to need more training."

The Chief glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, keeping his eyebrow raised. "You asking?"

"Whatever ONI did with you obviously worked," the admiral answered, "I hate to say it like this, but I can't think of another way – we don't make Spartans like we used to. It's for the best that we don't repeat the dubious ethicality of the original program, but we still need the same results."

John inhaled through his nose and let it out the same way. "I'm reluctant to send any of my Infected anywhere ONI could have access to them, especially the other Spartans. In the Parallel, I saw the things they did. The kind of projects and missions they sanctioned. I had to stand by and watch as my own half-brother was taken, and all the others, because I knew humanity _needed_ us… but that didn't make it any easier." He furrowed his brow, then relaxed again. "I could move the _Enterprise_ to Sol System orbit and just add to their training as you send them to us, but I imagine people wouldn't take kindly to that, especially after what happened over New Phoenix."

"You'd leave the _Enterprise_ stationary?"

"It takes a lot to move her in the first place," he answered, "Forerunner ships 'outrace their own realities,' in the words of the Librarian, and it takes time to reconcile that kind of 'Slipspace debt,' as the Forerunners call it. The kind of 'debt' that it takes to move a ship this size any substantial distance through Slipspace is very 'expensive.' She's unique in that she reconciles _before_ she jumps, enabling her to come out of Slipspace and be ready to engage right away, but it's easier to just keep her in one place and have the rest of the fleet use her as a resupply station, a home base that's closer than the Greater Ark.

"That's our plan for when we go to speak to the rest of the Covenant, by the way."

"You're leaving me here?"

Cortana materialized in the observation deck with her hands on her hips.

"Wouldn't dream of it," John replied, "The ship will stay, but you're welcome to come along if you want. If something happens, you can use the Domain to get back right away." He gave her a small mischievous look. "Gotta keep you out of trouble somehow."

"Me? _Trouble?_ _You're_ more likely to get in trouble than me. All those gunfights and alien abductions and parasitic lifeforms…"

"The Guardians."

"That was _one time!_ You've blown up – what is it, _three_ Halo rings now?! _And_ been abducted by aliens and turned into a Gravemind?" The AI crossed her arms, but she was grinning and so was he.

"The first one was _on your orders_ , Cortana, and Delta Halo wasn't blown up, just glassed."

Admiral Hood was smiling, too. 'It's good that they've been reunited,' he thought, watching them interact with such ease, 'They're better when they're together.'

Then John turned to walk toward the control panel for the simulation environment and tripped over his tail, making Cortana start giggling.

* * *

The admiral returned to Earth with the Chief's counteroffer and the documentation of the P'Vort's approach. The rest of HIGHCOM accepted both with reluctance, contingent on actual negotiations provided they survived the impending invasion. They also made the decision not to alert the UEG unless they were unable to stop the enemy fleet from arriving in the Milky Way.

The _Enterprise_ left Genesis for what remained of Reach in early November 2558, the rest of the fleet docked within. The _Infinity_ had other missions to take care of, but when the Forerunners and the Infected actually started going out to meet the leaders of the former Covenant's respective races and clans, humanity sent their own representatives as well.

" _Why're we on guard duty?"_

" _Because the universe hates you, Buck."_

Locke sighed heavily and snapped off his comm as Buck and Vale started going at it again. In combat they worked well together, even great, but during idle time, they grated on one another.

Patrol on the Unggoy home world of Balaho could hardly be called "idle time," but almost all of the little aliens were terrified of the "Demons." All the Spartans really needed to do were stand around and look menacing to deter any would-be rebels while the Forerunners and the Infected worked to persuade the leaders of the Unggoy that it would be in their best interest to work with them against the Flood. Though cowardly, the little aliens were not unintelligent, and their sheer numbers would be an asset.

An added incentive for them to cooperate would be the Forerunners' offer to adjust their planet to be able to properly support the Unggoy race, provided they kept an eye on their breeding habits.

" _Intra-team friction becoming a bit much, Spartan Locke?"_

The S-IV flinched at the sudden voice in his ear, making a few small Unggoy who'd been creeping closer to him jump up and run away. "Indeed, Master Chief," he replied, glancing toward the ships overhead. The hybrid was on his way to Sanghelios instead, claiming that they wanted to ally with the aliens, not terrify them to death. The presence of _the_ Demon on Balaho or even nearby would do more harm than good. He and a few other S-II teams were observing the S-IVs in a battle simulation and giving critiques. "How's it going up there?"

" _Better than expected, though it likely will disappoint you to hear that we didn't expect very much."_

"Low expectations leads to pleasant surprises or a lack of disappointment."

" _Indeed. Both Fireteam Crimson and Fireteam Osiris still have the highest scores, though the others have shown improvement."_

"Do you think they'll be ready by the time the Flood arrives?"

" _Most of them, yes. The main problem seems to be that they are still acting like Marines when they should be Spartans. I've threatened to lower their starting ammo count in their next simulations by however much they waste on enemies who are already dead."_

Locke couldn't stop himself from snorting at that. He'd noticed the same problem; the S-IVs and Marines alike had a bad habit of shooting up the corpses of fallen foes after they had already perished. "How many times have you done it so far?"

" _Four,"_ was the amused reply, _"I think the rest of them learned their lesson after Corporal Thomas started a simulation without any ammo at all. Or at least they took the threat seriously."_

"Ooh. That's harsh."

" _They need to learn. All quiet down on Balaho?"_

"So far." Locke signaled to Tanaka that he was going to do a quick loop around the hall where the talks were taking place. "No one's tried to kill us yet. Half the others don't even have their weapons loaded."

The other Spartan made a low noise over the channel. _"Another lesson to teach, how delightful."_

"Really? You'd have your guns all loaded even surrounded by this lot?"

" _Always, Spartan Locke. One never knows when one will be engaged in battle. It's really an old habit left over from our boot camp days, but still – it pays to be prepared."_

"You were _children_ ," he protested, scaring off a few vandals when he came around a corner.

" _We were_ soldiers _,"_ was the reply, _"and we don't resent it being done so much as we resent it being_ necessary. _Is it really that hard for our species to keep it together?"_

"Questionable decisions were made on all sides. We're just going to have to move forward."

" _I can agreed to that, but if I see one more alert about Venezia talking shit cross my news feed…"_

"What did they do this time?"

" _A civilian trade ship was passing through the area, and they took potshots at it. Wasn't even UNSC or anything. It got away before they could shoot it down, but the captain's filed a complaint, another one of many in the_ long _list against them."_

"I've heard rumors that ONI's planning a raid through some of my old contacts, but if it's real, it's probably going on hold because of the Flood."

The Chief huffed. _"I'm not looking forward to trying to bring_ them _onboard with this. They probably don't give a shit. They'd be glad to see the UNSC get toppled."_

"I was unaware that was part of the plan."

" _We've got to at least try."_

* * *

"Spartan."

"Arbiter."

The Sangheili stepped forward and greeted the other soldier as he would another Sangheili, a firm embrace and an honorific in his native tongue, which the Chief returned. "Where is your construct?"

"Right here." Cortana stepped out of the group of Forerunners who had come down with the Spartan. She had decided to return to the flesh form John made for her in the Parallel, which the Infected had kept in cold storage.

"I see Spartan Locke was successful in his hunt for you, then," the Sangheili said, leading the way into Vadam Keep. It was a castle of impressive size carved deep into Kolaar Mountain, full with the Arbiter's relatives and friends and visitors from all around, come to see the Demons and the Forerunners who came with them. Though the Covenant no longer held sway over them, many Sangheili still revered and admired the Forerunners. Seeing them together with the Spartans would help assuage the doubts of at least some.

"Indeed," the Chief answered. Then, "Impressive."

They had arrived in the main meeting hall, where the kaidon – in this case, the Arbiter – and his councilors met to decide the fate of the Vadam State, and now likely the whole of Sanghelios. The walls of the hall were carved with part of the Vadam Saga, which told the stories of famous past kaidons and their deeds.

Ordinarily, the hall was empty during meetings of kaidon and councilors, but today it was standing room only, with scores of other kaidons and some of their councilors speaking amongst themselves. Many of them quieted upon seeing the Demon himself, helm plates retracted and flanked by a Forerunner honor guard – both sets of Twins, in this case, on their very best behavior. Nep'Thalia was also with him, but more had chosen to remain outside and socialize with the other Sangheili.

[Oh, shit, I have to talk in front of _people_.]

'HA!'

[Quiet.]

"This is the Demon," the Arbiter said simply to the assembled kaidons, "I am told he brings important news."

"Bad news, unfortunately," John added when he was given the signal to speak, mentally flipping through all of his talking points, "Before I begin, some background – before the firing of the Halo Array millennia ago, before the Forerunners built their empire, a race of beings known as the Precursors ruled the galaxy. As far as we know, they created all races we know of today – or in the very least, accelerated our evolution. Yet they mandated that the Forerunners were to be destroyed to make way for their heirs, and so the Forerunners rose up and destroyed _them_ instead, almost to a one."

More murmurs were rolling through the crowd, but they exploded into outright shouts at that until the Arbiter shouted for silence. "Let the Demon speak!" he bellowed, "Then you may say all you wish!"

"Thank you. According to the few records surviving from that time, the last survivors fled, and through still unknown means reduced themselves to a powder through which they might have someday been revived. But over time, it became degraded, twisted and monstrous, and when it returned to the Milky Way, it no longer sought to shepherd life to higher levels of evolution. Instead, it seeks to enslave life, destroy it.

"We now call this remnant the Flood."

Absolute silence filled the hall. The Sangheili's mingled shock and horror was so strong that John could feel it without even actively trying. "Humanity of old was a space-faring race before the firing of the Halo Array," he continued, "and first encountered the Flood as this powder. Initially, it seemed beneficial – it made our pets more docile, some of our crops more fertile… but then it began to change. Turned malignant and destructive, and it spread quickly. Though we pushed the Flood back for a time, resulting in its temporary flight from this galaxy, in many places, we had been forced to resort to a policy we refer to as 'scorched earth' – nothing left behind for the enemy to take. That left entire systems beyond our power to recover, so we sought new worlds from which to fight back.

"That pushed us into conflict with the Forerunners.

"We fought, and lost. They reduced us to little more than animals, not realizing that we hadn't been expanding." His gaze flicked from face to face in the crowd of kaidons. "We were running. Weakened from their war with us, they were no match for the Flood when some of it returned.

"But the _rest of it_ went further. Some Precursors had survived in their own forms, but just as they manipulated the Flood, it manipulated them. They are now a slaver race called the P'Vort, with some thirty-odd other races under their rule as the agents of the Flood.

"And now, it's coming back. The Flood is returning." With the flick of a thought, he pulled up the video loop that the Infected had taken, as well as the accompanying data – ship numbers, estimated population maps based on estimated size, weapons specs and materials, information from their few battles against them in the Parallel – and projected it before the kaidons. "Your people are skilled and brave warriors. I have come," he continued as they looked the information over in silence, "to ask for your help. I will beg for it, if need be, but none of us can hope to survive this coming onslaught alone."

The Arbiter sank down into his seat at the head of the table, and let out a heavy sigh. "I knew you brought troublesome news, Spartan, but nothing like this." He waved to one segment of the data, a visual of the Battle over Earth in the Parallel. "If Forerunner ships can barely fight back against these 'P'Vort,' what chance do _we_ have?"

"We are providing the UNSC with new gear and repairing and refitting their older ships," the Chief answered, "We have a small army of Huragok; I see no reason why we can't do the same for your fleets."

As the various heads of state resumed their muttering, he stepped back to let them debate. The Arbiter was listening to the kaidons, weighing his decision for his keep. He couldn't _force_ the other keeps to aid the humans, but he could _persuade_ them to do so. "What would you ask of us, Spartan?" he asked, "If we join with you, what would we be doing?"

"It would mostly be ship-to-ship combat," he answered, "We have the _beginnings_ of a plan." The data about the P'Vort vanished, and a projection of the Lesser Ark blossomed into view, its spin slowing as it expanded. "The route the Enemy is taking through Slipspace will bring its army past Installation 00b, or at least very close to it. Forerunner technology is advanced enough that we can force all possible Slipspace paths to meet over the Ark-" As he spoke, a tangled web of lines branched through the space around the Ark's projection, then twisted together so that they converged above its cradle. "-and then make them drop out of Slipspace."

Two holographic fleets of ships met and engaged above the translucent installation. "It's not much – we've not yet gone to see exactly what state the Lesser Ark is in, but it's intact enough that the Portal Generator is still online. The Enemy has the first-mover advantage, but this would give us the first _strike_ , a surprise attack, an opportunity to engage the Flood on our own terms, before it can disappear into the space between stars and _spread_."

The Arbiter folded his hands. "And the chances of success? Of a united army stopping the Flood then and there?"

"Current projections put it at around two percent."

Many of the kaidons began muttering again.

"However…"

Silence fell once more.

"If we include a… _contingency plan_ … it rises to almost _one hundred percent_ , provided we force as many enemy ships as possible out of Slipspace."

The Arbiter stood up sharply, along with many of the other clan leaders. "How is that possible?!" one demanded, before another shouted, "To wipe out the Flood in one fell swoop, something even the Forerunners could not do-!"

" _I cannot tell you our plan!"_ John managed to shout over the chaos, _"If even one of you knows and falls to the Enemy Flood, it will no longer be viable!_ " When they settled once more, he continued, "I cannot tell you much most, but I can tell you this: you will not need your most heavily armed ships, but your _fastest._ Because if it _all_ goes to hell, and makes this contingency necessary, you need to be able to get _away_ , **quickly,** or you'll _die._ "


	22. Eighteen: Promise the Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Early Christmas, and sorry for the delay! I passed all my finals, though!

'The Jiralhanae will not come, Commander.'

[I suppose that saves us the trouble of getting them to work together with the Sangheili. Will not or cannot?]

'Both, it seems,' Gramlek answered, 'General Lydus has united some of his people, but his grasp is currently tenuous. It's unlikely he'll be able to solidify his hold before the Flood arrives, but we have alerted them to the danger just the same.'

[And the Kig-Yar?]

'A few have stepped forward,' Elenasto reported, 'but most of them see no profit in this and so have declined to be a part of the "advance army."'

[Mm. The Sangheili themselves are still debating. A few powerful kaidons have pledged their support, but fewer than I'd like.] John padded out onto a covered stone terrace on one of the uppermost levels of the keep. [I don't want to rely entirely on the UNSC and Parallel's support for this. How about the others? Gultanr, Lituni, Adonte? Hell, even the Lekgolo.]

'Actually, some Lekgolo colonies have joined us,' L'Toress piped up, 'and not just the ones in Venera's Scarab. We're refitting some of the guns for them, to free up Lady Cortana.'

[And Mgalekgolo. We'll need them to repel boarders.]

'The Gultanr are with us,' Ferial added in, 'but the Adonte are still debating, and no one's been able to get ahold of the Lituni.'

[Keep trying. And the rest of you?]

'Still en route to Maethrillian, Commander, ETA one Earth hour, but the Metarchy informs us that it has successfully opened a Portal to the Lesser Ark.

[Any debris coming through?]

'Nothing yet.'

[Well that's something. Keep me posted.]

'Aye, sir.'

The Spartan heaved an enormous sigh and leaned against the stone banister ringing the edge of the terrace.

"You think there will be any assassination attempts while you're here?"

John turned. Cortana had rejoined him at last. She had gone on a brief tour of the keep, given by one of the Arbiter's relatives, so that she could learn more about the Sangheili directly _from_ the Sangheili. "I doubt it," he answered, embracing her when she moved close enough, "The Covenant was broken with the battle of Sunaion – its adherents don't have the might to make an attempt. Many of them have surrendered, and thrown themselves on the Arbiter's mercies."

"Has he shown them any?" They both looked out over the mountain, and the city at its foot.

"Some. Most have been stripped of their lands and titles, if they had any, but they're still alive."

The AI snorted. "I imagine the UNSC would like to do the same to _me_ ," she said bitterly, "but I don't have anything for them to take, except my life."

"Let me worry about the UNSC."

"I don't want you to take the fall for me," she insisted, "I don't want you or the fleet to be punished for something I did."

"And we won't," John replied, gently gripping her forearms, "HIGHCOM knows by now that we won't let them take you back for termination. With as important as you are to us – to _me_ – it would be tantamount to an act of war." He brushed her hair out of her face. "We're already buying the SPARTAN-II Program – we'll settle on this, too."

She buried her face in his chest. "I can't believe you're keeping me."

The Commander rested his chin on her head. "Sometimes, in the Parallel, the thought of you was all that kept me from going mad and killing everyone. The UNSC can insert memories into the brains of flash clones, and the Forerunners embedded entire personalities and histories in human DNA. That made me doubt that this world - the people I knew, the places I'd been - were real.

"All but you. I couldn't have imagined the feel of you in my neural lace, your subroutines running in the background of my mind. There's nothing exactly like it, and I thought, even if it's just for _your_ sake, I had to hold on. I had to believe." He tilted his head so his cheek was pressed against the crown of her head. In a whisper, the Spartan continued, "You died, and I thought _I_ was dying. I'm not letting you go, not again. We go together."

She chuckled a little. "Are we making a suicide pact or something?"

" _Hardly,_ " John answered dryly, "I would have to destroy my Infected to a man for that. Nearly impossible, at this point. Not happening. Just… don't go where I can't follow."

Cortana closed her eyes with a sigh.

In the distance, a storm was rolling in. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, and the winds were beginning to rise. It promised to be quite severe, and a number of Sangheili were leaving now, taking off before it arrived at Vadam Keep. A firm breeze smelling of petrichor swept between the pillars supporting the roof over the terrace and stirred their hair.

"John?"

Both of them looked up.

It was Catherine Halsey.

'Oh shit.'

[Settle.] "Doctor Halsey," John acknowledged, lifting his head but not dropping his embrace as Cortana pressed a little closer to him, "I was unaware you were still on Sanghelios. I thought you went back to Earth with the _Infinity_."

"I was injured during the Battle of Sunaion," she answered, taking a few steps closer and studying the couple, "too injured for space travel, so I remained here."

"And now it seems we're _all_ grounded, at least for the time being," he said, glancing at the oncoming storm.

'An ill omen.'

[I thought Forerunners didn't have superstitions.]

'We don't, but you humans do. You can't deny it's ominous.'

The Spartan turned back to the scientist. "Is there something we can help you with?"

"Who is this?" she asked, dropping her gaze to the AI in his arms.

John glanced down at Cortana. [She doesn't recognize you?]

'She expects an AI,' was her reply, 'not a human.'

[Then it's up to you if we tell her.]

Cortana sighed and stepped back from the Spartan's embrace, turning fully to face her mother. The scientist's eyes widened a little at the sight of a virtual replica of her younger self standing before her, her eyes the exact same shade of blue as Cortana's avatar (and that was what John felt was his greatest triumph in building her a body). "Hello, Mother," said the AI.

"I'm curious to know how you survived, Cortana."

The AI met her creator's gaze. "The Composer used a Slipspace event to transmit the people of New Phoenix to the Composer's Abyss on Installation Zero-Three," she answered, "When John detonated the warhead and destroyed the _Mantle's Approach_ , a lot of it was pulled into the event, and myself with it. The Domain is _in_ Slipspace, as near as we can tell, and that's how I gained access to it."

"I see…" Halsey was clearly wary of the AI, despite the fact that Cortana had been cured of the virus twisting her processes. Or perhaps she was more wary of herself; the AI had been created from a matrix of her own mind, after all. "May I speak-"

John frowned abruptly, and turned to look over the edge of the balcony. Both sets of twins were just below them, clinging to the mountainside despite the steep drop. "So much for being on your best behavior."

"We're your bodyguards, Commander! We're supposed to protect you, but we wanted to give you some privacy!"

"So you decided to _scale a mountain_ rather than stand at the door like normal people?"

"We got permission!" They climbed up the rest of the way and hopped over the railing to stand beside the Spartan and AI.

He pursed his lips affectionately, if such a thing was possible, and ignored Cortana's muffled giggles. "You all are very, _very_ strange."

"Says the Spartan who became a Gravemind and Infected a bunch of aliens!" One of the Veneras planted her hands on her hips.

The Commander huffed a sigh. "Give us a minute, would you?" He looked at Cortana, too.

She shot a glance at her creator, then stepped forward to give her Spartan a hug. He returned the embrace. "The Arbiter says he's found a room for us, since the storm looks like it's going to last until tomorrow morning," said the AI, "I'll go check it out, let you know where it is."

"See you soon." As she departed, John silently signaled for one set of twins to go with her, protect her. They nodded, and both sets left the terrace. "What is it, Doctor?"

"You _kept_ her?" Halsey demanded in an undertone, stepping closer to minimize the likelihood that they would be overheard, "After all that's happened?"

"I think we can both agree it's very difficult to resist the Enemy Flood."

"But that means she's vulnerable to it!" the scientist hissed, "It could take her again! I can provide you with another matrix if it's a Cortana model you want-"

"Cortana is _not_ replaceable," John replied, his tone brooking no argument, "and she's not vulnerable, not anymore. Not now that she's with us. We won't let the Enemy Gravemind have her again."

Spartan and scientist stared at one another. "Why do you still trust her?" the doctor asked, "She failed you, and killed thousands of people."

"She failed no one," John answered, "There were extenuating circumstances. I'm not excusing what she did, but the fact is she was no more in control of herself than _anyone_ infected by the Enemy Flood. It turns friends to enemies around you, and then it takes you, too. As for the deaths-" He snorted softly. "Haven't I done worse?"

"The Covenant were our enemies," Halsey began.

"That doesn't change the fact that the people I killed were their families, their friends, their kindred. You think they forgive me for that?"

"You didn't turn on your own people."

"Except now the UNSC thinks I _have_ , apparently, because I'm not coming back to serve." He rolled his eyes.

"You're not?" Halsey was visibly taken aback.

"No. I'm not letting ONI get anywhere near my genetic makeup." The Chief folded his arms, leaned back against the stone railing. "After this is over, we might reform the Galactic Council, if enough people are for it. Try to negotiate a peace between the UNSC and the rest of the former Covenant, maybe, or at least get them to settle down, stop attacking. That should be easier now that Jul 'Mdama's dead.

"Even if they do need more training, you have the Spartan-IVs now. The UNSC doesn't really need us or the reminder of our dubiously ethical history."

"It's not the same."

"We'll still be hanging around, but our responsibility is to the galaxy as a whole now."

"You're taking up the Mantle?"

"I think we've seen that that is a _universally_ Bad Idea." John shook his head. "Like I told Cortana, of the three known longest-lived political entities in the galaxy – the Precursors, the Forerunners, and the _Fleet of Shadows_ – who, out of all of them, has never taken up the Mantle? And who, out of all of them, is still here?" He looked back at the scientist. "When you conscripted us, you told us that we had been called upon to serve. And we are, just not the UNSC anymore.

"Or, rather, not _only_ the UNSC."

* * *

"Sangheili beds are surprisingly comfortable," Cortana said from where she was sitting cross-legged on the edge of one, bouncing a little.

John leaned against the doorframe and smiled at her. "'Surprisingly?' They have to sleep like everyone else."

"I know, but given that they're a warrior culture, I thought they'd be a bit more…"

"Military? _Spartan?_ "

"Now who's making puns?" Cortana laid back on the bed with a sigh.

The Chief moved to sit next to her and began running his fingers through her hair. "You're worried again."

"Is it that obvious?" She turned her head to look at him.

"Only to someone who's worried about you."

The AI let out a shaky sigh. "I don't want to face the Flood again," she whispered, rolling so that she was closer to him, "I'm afraid that I'll get too close, and it'll take me again."

"You know we won't let that happen. You know _I_ won't let that happen."

She looked away. "I heard you talking with Doctor Halsey."

"Of course you did," John sighed, "What about it?"

"Promise me you'll terminate me before you let the Flood take me."

John jolted sharply. Of all the things he had expected her to say, that was not one of them. "Cortana-"

" _Promise me."_

He met her gaze, saw her determination. If he didn't do it, she would find someone else who would. She wasn't going to let the Flood consume her again. At last, he said, "I promise."


	23. Author's Note - Not A New Chapter

The more I play Halo 5, trying to work out where the Reclaimer Arc is going, the less I like it. I'm thinking about doing a rewrite of that part of the canon in my story and then completely diverging – well, actually, there's no "thinking" about it; I'm doing it. Some changes are only going to be a few lines added or altered, but with others it will be a complete overhaul, so be on the lookout. Unfortunately, this means that an actual new update might be a while in coming, sorry :(!


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